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International trade and investment, deep integration
Canada could find itself in a very embarrassing position at the WTO meetings in Qatar this weekend. We could be one of just five countries in the world opposing a declaration that ensures access to essential medicines for millions of people.
At the just-finished annual meeting in Hamilton of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) delegates were undoubtedly talking about municipal strategies for water protection in the wake of the findings of the Walkerton Inquiry.
For some months now, business leaders and other free trade proponents have been beating the drums for another big leap of faith into a new comprehensive "trade" arrangement with the United States. Once again they are warning that the status quo is not acceptable, that the costs of not taking this leap could be catastrophic for Canada's economy. This discussion is playing out in a climate where not being in lockstep with the American hyperpower raises the spectre of retaliation.
With Prime Minister Paul Martin about to make a major trip to Washington, many influential business leaders and prominent think-tanks are offering him advice on how to strike a new "strategic bargain" with our Southern neighbours.
It is understandable where these commentators are coming from. The potential shutdown of the Canada-U.S. border is a prospect that sends shivers down the spine of corporate Canada. These fears crystallized in the days after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
(Ottawa) Federal-provincial negotiations to expand the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) should be stopped, according to a briefing paper by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, In Search of a Problem: The Future of the Agreement on Internal Trade and Canadian Federalism.
Federal and provincial governments are currently in the midst of a consultation process regarding the new negotiations in three cities across the country.
OTTAWA--There is almost no chance that NAFTA Trade Ministers, meeting next month, will make any meaningful changes to limit corporations' rights to use NAFTA to challenge laws that protect public health and the environment, says a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
"The Bush Administration is clearly opposed to such changes," says Scott Sinclair, the report's author.
OTTAWA--The draft text of the Free trade of the Americas Agreement document (FTAA) has just been released. Researchers from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives were part of the team analyzing the leaked investment chapter of the draft FTAA text.
When G8 leaders meet next week in Kananaskis, the plight of Africa will be at the top of their agenda. They are expected to unveil an action plan in response to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), a proposal for more Western development aid advanced by three prominent African leaders.
Many civil society organizations in Africa, however, disagree with the direction and strategy of the NEPAD plan. They would prefer a much greater and more generously funded effort to fight the preventable diseases that are ravaging their continent.
(OTTAWA) International trade agreements and other market-driven reforms in recent years have stripped nation-states of many tools to implement the activist industrial policies needed to promote domestic industries, economic growth, and living standards.
That's the key message in The Future of Industrial Policy in a Globalizing World: What are the Options?, a new Briefing Paper on Trade and Investment by CCPA economist Marc Lee.