Dawson Strategic

 For more than a year, TPP partners have been holding their breath in hopes that the world’s fifth largest economy would join the negotiations.  Except for its membership in the WTO, Japan has been a reluctant player in regional and bilateral FTA fora. It has held back because of a number of domestic protectionist measures, [...]

In a May 10 OpEd for iPolitics, I questioned the fairness of Miningwatch’s criticisms of the Canadian Embassy in Mexico under the watch of Ambassador Guillermo Rychinski and argue that a timid foreign service is the last thing Canadian business needs when it is trying to develop a foothold in emerging markets.  Following is an excerpt: [...]

By Stefania Bartucci Receiving this year’s budget, I felt like a kid at Christmas who was really hoping that Santa would pony up for a Nintendo Wii, and instead discovered some new socks and pajamas under the tree.  You know you need them, but socks and PJs won’t entertain you for hours on end. No [...]

In a paper released by the Fraser Institute as part of a collection of essays on the U.S. election,  Laura Dawson argues that Canada-U.S. economic relations have been on autopilot since the 1989 Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement. In light of the recent shift in economic focus towards Asia, the leaders [...]

As negotiations progress, members are drawing lines in the TPP sand box that will determine the dynamics of future negotiating rounds. When it comes to patent protection for pharmaceuticals, these lines are deep and divisive.. Although patent issues for pharmaceuticals were not discussed in the recently-concluded Auckland round, they are likely to be on the [...]

Ever since Canada got serious about seeking membership in the TPP, the spectre of eliminating supply-managed dairy has haunted the process. Domestically, the government has maintained a sharply diffuse position of defending supply management at the same time as it is putting everything on the table for consideration (National Post, 15/11/2011). Now that it has [...]

The members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership have just concluded a round of trade negotiations in Auckland, New Zealand. The group comprises 11 countries—Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam—and represents a market of nearly 658 million people with a combined GDP of $20.7 trillion. This is also [...]

There is no shortage of controversy on the subject of Canada’s investment relationship with China – particularly in the energy sector. Dawson Strategic landed in this issue last summer with “Potash and Blackberries,” a paper written for MLI on Canada’s foreign investment review process. The paper argues that Canada’s foreign investment review process  is adequate – we [...]

Since Dawson Strategic is active in both US and Canadian policy issues, we could not help but be caught up in the drama and speculation leading up to the US presidential elections. Laura honed her punditry skills as a recurring election panelist on CTV’s Powerplay.  Host Don Martin and various US panellists were a lot [...]

Television:  CBC Newsworld, Power and Politics, Trans-Pacific Partnership, June 20 Print: Calgary Herald, Canada Has Nothing to Fear From From Foreign Investment, June 24; National Post, TPP: Now the Hard Part, June 22 Radio: CBC Radio One, As It Happens, Trans-Pacific Partnership, June 19; CFAX, Murray Langdon Show, Trans-Pacific Partnership,  June 21; CHQR, Rutherford Show, Foreign Takeover Prospects for RIM, June 12 [Translate]