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Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief trade negotiator Janice Charette listen as Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about Canada’s response to new U.S. tariffs during a news conference in Ottawa in August 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle

Caught between culture and commerce: Canada’s high‑stakes trade clash with the United States

The federal government’s double discourse on cultural sovereignty reflects the dilemma of exercising it in the era of free trade.
President Donald Trump speaks with Prime Minister Mark Carney at a working lunch with leaders of G7 and the Middle East in Evian-les-Bains, France, in June 2026. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

Donald Trump’s ‘art of the deal’ means reneging on them. That’s why Canada cannot capitulate

Countries that sign deals with the Trump administration are quickly finding out that the stability and certainty they hoped to purchase was an illusion.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand shake hands following talks at the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., in November 2025. (Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP)

Canada backs the International Criminal Court — but U.S. threats require a delicate balancing act

Here’s why Canada is in a tricky spot when it comes to saying more to counter the many inaccurate claims made about the ICC by the United States.
The ongoing uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs suggest that renewing CUSMA on existing terms is unlikely, and that will not help lower costs. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Critical minerals and energy will be integral to the CUSMA review

While automobile manufacturing and steel steal the headlines, the critical minerals and energy sector is now coming centre stage in the CUSMA review.
U.S. President Donald Trump departs with Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin and Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought after announcing the agency will no longer regulate greenhouse gases, in the White House, on Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Countries in the Americas can act to protect the environment without the United States

U.S. withdrawal from transnational environmental agreements presents other countries in the Americas with the opportunity to chart a new course.
Prime Minister Mark Carney shakes hands with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum following a joint news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City, on Sep 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

What Canada can learn from Mexico’s approach to U.S. trade

In 2026, Canada will feel growing pressure to align with some U.S. trade-restrictive measures and, like Mexico, should do so smartly.
The MaRS urban innovation hub building in Toronto. Canada may benefit from the American H-1B visa fee increase by attracting highly skilled tech workers and others from abroad to Canada instead of the United States. (WikiMedia)

The H‑1B visa fee hike in the United States opens a policy window for Canada

Policymakers inside and outside of government can provide ideas on creating targeted policies and pathways to recruit talented workers to Canada in the wake of the U.S. H-1B visa fee hike.
President-elect Donald Trump gestures after speaking during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump’s proposed tariffs against Canada and Mexico may be illegal, but that’s not the real problem

Amid Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat, Canada should be asking how a liberal-democratic nation survives next to a much more powerful country with no respect for the rule of law.
Donald Trump looks over at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s document as they and Mexico’s president at the time, Enrique Pena Nieto, sign the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in November 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Martin Mejia

Adios amigos? What Trump 2.0 means for Canada and Mexico

If Canada is prepared to leave Mexico behind in trade negotiations with the U.S., Canadian officials should be prepared for Mexico to do the same. In Trump 2.0, a united front might make more sense.
A cow waits in a paddock after milking on a farm near Oxford, New Zealand. New Zealand exports 95 per cent of its dairy products, and is challenging Canada’s protection of its dairy market. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Why New Zealand is right to call out Canada on its dairy industry

New Zealand is accusing Canada of undercutting its commitments under the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership on dairy. Canada’s problem is that New Zealand’s case is strong.

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