On July 7, Cambodia was informed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump of a new August 1 deadline to renegotiate trade terms and avoid steep tariffs. Although the recently revealed 36 per cent duties announced by the U.S. as part of its broader tariff policy are lower than the hefty 49 per cent Washington threatened earlier, they remain...
Atlantic Canada faces a substantial challenge in the realm of tax competitiveness. Across multiple dimensions of taxation, the region imposes higher tax rates than most other Canadian provinces.
The Cambodia-Thailand relationship has deteriorated since a border clash broke out on May 28 and has led to the death of one Cambodian soldier. The conflict, not the first between the two countries, stems from a longstanding dispute over the lines of demarcation, dating back to early 20th century negotiations between Thailand (then Siam) and the French colonial authorities in...
Why Canada’s health security emergency demands a new sense of urgency around its life sciences sector — and how the fix could yield both health and economic returns
As global trade tensions intensify, the Philippines finds itself caught between its two largest economic partners — the U.S. and China. In 2024, the U.S. remained the Philippines’ top export market; China continued to dominate its imports. This dual dependency presents a growing strategic challenge for Manila, particularly amid escalating tariff threats from Washington, its long-standing defence ally, and ongoing...
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, June 15-17 marked a breakthrough in Canada-India ties. Bilateral diplomatic relations — stalled since former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s September 2023 allegation linking the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar to agents of the Indian government — may now...
Canada is the world’s third-largest exporter of oil, fourth-largest producer, and top source of imports to the United States. Much of Canada’s oil wealth is concentrated in the oil sands in northern Alberta, which hosts 99 percent of the country’s enormous oil endowment: about 160 billion barrels of proven reserves, of a total resource of approximately 1.8 trillion barrels. This...
On this World Refugee Day, Friday June 20th, celebration feels out of place. Across the globe, the refugee protection system is stretched to its breaking point, while the number of displaced persons grows each day. Long viewed as a haven, Canada is not immune to the global tide of toughened border controls and political pressure. We should, of course, begin...
Last month’s India-Pakistan clash was an unsettling reminder of the volatile relationship between the two nuclear-armed adversaries. New Delhi’s ties with Islamabad had been relatively calm over the four years prior, following the inking in February 2021 of a new truce along the Line of Control (LoC), the disputed border that bisects India- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The truce reduced cross-border...
Liberalizing trade within Canada has long been a challenge. Geographic constraints, infrastructure gaps, differences in language and culture, and easy access to a large market to the south have all dampened the volume of internal trade. Concerns over limited interprovincial trade have surfaced repeatedly throughout Canadian history, from early infrastructure challenges at Confederation aimed at bridging these divides to issues...
In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada made a historic decision that transformed the country’s commercial East Coast fishing industry. At the time, First Nations had been locked out of the regional economy for several centuries, despite traditionally engaging in fishing for subsistence and for trade.
On June 3, 2025, South Korea held its 21st presidential election, resulting in the victory of opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung. The election, triggered by the December 2024 impeachment of former president Yoon Suk Yeol, took place amid heightened social tensions. As the new president, Lee will be tasked with uniting a deeply polarized society and re-establishing South Korea’s regional and...
The new Carney government will face a host of challenges, including trade, tariffs, innovation, and regulation. However, it must make agriculture a top priority if it hopes to solve the long-standing problem of supply management – an outdated, flawed, and costly system for producing dairy, eggs, and poultry products. This anti-competitive production model results in higher prices for all these...
Like a spoiled child, Donald Trump has kicked over the sandcastle defending what is left of the rules-based international trading order. As critics of that order, we accept the opportunity and challenge it creates to rethink international relations and mutating neoliberal dogmas. However, we are greatly concerned by the chaos and misfortune that Trump’s actions have caused for workers and...
Canada’s relationship with the U.S. is complex, asymmetrical, and fundamental to Canada’s economic prosperity. It is also entering a period of great uncertainty that requires a fundamental rethinking of Canada’s diplomatic engagement with the U.S.
In April, the United States imposed a baseline 10 per cent tariff on nearly all imports, with higher country-specific rates proposed for its major trade partners. Japan was hit hard: it faces a potential 24 per cent U.S. tariff on its exports beginning July 9 unless the two sides can reach an agreement before then. A separate 25 per cent...
How Canada can seize a once-in-a-generation opportunity and win the coming natural resource arms race The transition to a clean and digital economy has ignited a global race for critical minerals — the essential inputs for batteries, electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, solar panels, advanced electronics and defence technologies. These minerals (such as lithium, cobalt and nickel) are now as...
Western anger is largely fuelled by Ottawa’s decade-long legislative and regulatory agenda, which trampled on provincial jurisdiction while specifically targeting the oil and gas industry – a major source of Western Canada’s wealth.
Canada stands at a critical economic crossroads. From the urgent transition to net-zero emissions, to the pursuit of secure supply chains in critical minerals and energy technologies, to addressing a national productivity crisis, the opportunities for transformation are vast — but remain unevenly distributed.
The completion of the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline in May 2024 has coincided with the beginning of a new era in global trade. Fueled by escalating US trade tensions and tariff policies that underscore Canada’s heavy dependence on a single market for its oil exports, TMX’s significance as a strategic gateway to the Asia-Pacific region is increasing, and China...
Universities are facing a sharp decline in their public reputation. In the US, the Trump administration is openly attacking many top universities – including taking steps to strip Harvard of its tax exempt status. The situation in Canada is less antagonistic, but there’s growing public frustration over the blatant left-wing bias and politicization of our post-secondary institutions. The public’s indifference...
For too long, Canada has been content to muddle in the slow lane when what is needed — now more than ever — is a breathtaking build out. Here’s how to do it.
Mortgage fraud in Canada has surged in recent years, raising deep concerns across multiple sectors. Anxiety is soaring among lenders as they face rising losses and inflated property prices. Meanwhile, organized criminal actors are overwhelming regulators and law enforcement. Several complex factors are behind the growing crisis, including pressures from housing affordability, rising interest rates, and the lingering effects of...
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has forever changed global commodities markets. The economic sanctions subsequently imposed on Russia exposed multiple risks related to (over)reliance on a single or dominant suppliers of critical materials (Sukhankin 2024a).
Despite knowing very little about him, Canadians chose Mark Carney as their new prime minister. Fearful of the bellicose threats coming from the United States about Canada becoming the 51st state, voters turned to the former central banker as a steady hand to deal with President Donald Trump. With no previous political experience to point to, much was made during...
In an era when AI will enhance everything from crop yields to cancer detection, the central priority should be to accelerate AI adoption to boost Canada's economic prosperity and quality of life for its citizens, not impose roadblocks to innovation with overly precautionary regulation.
The global economy is facing major instability, especially due to the Trump administration’s trade policies, which have permanently disrupted free trade with the U.S. and the global trading system. Canada must act quickly with bold policy changes to stay competitive and find new export markets.
With Canada’s federal election now behind us and the Liberal Party launching into a rare fourth consecutive mandate, Ottawa stands at a pivotal juncture for its Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS).
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is an increasingly disruptive global power and a growing challenge to Canada. One substantial risk is that the PRC intends to annex Taiwan, which it has never controlled, and it does not rule out the option of military force. China’s increasing rate of military exercises around Taiwan indicate that it is preparing for aggression...
Trump’s chaotic global tariff war, which has upended the international order, shows no sign of letting up. Presidents of the U.S. have long used trade as an instrument of power to assert economic and military dominance over the global economy. Trump however, does so against Canada and other allies—a vision driven by his pathological narcissistic view of the world, unrestrained...
Every assumption we’ve made about Canada’s place in the world over the past 80 years is open to question. We can no longer rely on others to safeguard our prosperity and security. It is up to us — guided by our interests, values, and a renewed sense of identity and common purpose. In this context, whoever forms the Cana
The act of setting fire to houses of worship carries profound implications for our culture, our politics, and for the state of religious liberty in Canada; it also has the potential to seriously undermine Indigenous reconciliation.
On March 11, China concluded its annual 'Two Sessions' — a pair of legislative and advisory meetings focused on Beijing's economic priorities for the year ahead. The slew of macroeconomic measures announced at those meetings are now taking on heightened significance amid the escalating U.S.–China trade war.
The reciprocal tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on April 2 – what he referred to as “Liberation Day” – hit Southeast Asian economies particularly hard. While they and others received a brief respite in the form of a 90-day pause, with a universal lowered reciprocal tariff of 10 per cent, tariffs on goods from China spiked to 14...
Canadian health care is ripe for major reform. In 1965–66, Canada experienced a paradigm shift – a “big bang” policy change. Since then, the core relationships between patient, state, medical profession, and labour remain the same. For 60 years, political actors have focused on policies that promise incremental change and avoid major reform. Medicare might be one of the most...
The introduction of smartphones, and with it, ubiquitous social media usage, are clearly key factors in the rise in youth mental health issues seen across the world.
The principal ballot box question for the 2025 federal election is which party leader is best positioned to address Donald Trump’s trade war and threats to Canadian sovereignty. The conflict with the Trump administration has the potential to be a turning point for the Canadian economy. Forecasters are suggesting we brace for an economic recession. Whether or not this happens...
