Canada’s trade priorities need a reset – Conference Board

March 23, 2016

It is a well-worn cliché – but also entirely true – that Canada has been a trading nation throughout its economic history. Recent decades have seen a shift away from multilateral negotiations and toward regional and bilateral free trade. The Canada-U.S. free-trade agreement (FTA) and North American free-trade agreement (NAFTA) were cornerstones in that shift and have been key to Canada’s deeper economic integration within North America.

After NAFTA was signed more than 20 years ago, Canada slipped into a lower gear on free-trade policy. Agreements were reached with small markets such as Chile, Israel and Costa Rica, but not with major players. Canada eventually caught the free-trade wave and two large regional trade deals were negotiated – the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Europe and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

The new federal government is reviewing many aspects of economic policy, including trade. So where is Canada’s trade policy going?

Read More: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/press/speech_oped/16-03-23/canada_s_trade_priorities_need_a_reset.aspx