Dawson Strategic

In a paper released today by the Macdonald Laurier Institute, Laura and I examine the issue of intellectual property commitments in free trade agreements. In Canada’s negotiations with the European Union and in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, we face complex and difficult choices regarding pharmaceutical IP reform. The challenge is how to achieve a successful conclusion to [...]

 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 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 [...]

Having received the blessing of US Congress on October 9th, Canada will take its seat at the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiating table in New Zealand on December 3rd for the 15th round of negotiations towards what is being dubbed a “next generation 21st century trade agreement”. Some progress has been made in areas such as market [...]

The Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council and Beyond the Border initiatives are nearing the end of their first year of bilateral meetings and stakeholder outreach.On December 12, Christopher Sands and I will meet at the Wilson Center in Washington to discuss the progress in the first year and to introduce our new paper “A Safe and [...]

Canada is a nation rich in energy resources. Oil, natural gas, hydro, uranium, coal, wind – Canada has abundant supplies of renewable and non-renewable resources. We are the largest foreign supplier of oil to the United States and the world’s third largest natural gas producer and exporter. But the game is changing: shrinking US demand [...]

If RIM is targeted by foreign investors, the Canadian government will face tough choices regarding net benefits to Canada and implications for national security, argues Laura Dawson.  In a commentary for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute entitled Potash and BlackBerries: Should Canada treat all foreign direct investment the same? Dawson argues while the sale of Canada’s flagship intellectual property (IP) company to a foreign [...]

In an OpEd published in the National Post on March 14, Daniel Schwanen and I argue that only by being present at the TPP table can Canada influence the shape of the final agreement.  At the same time, negotiating an agreement is not the same as accepting an agreement. In the end, we can walk [...]

In our submission to DFAIT’s request for comments on Canada’s prospective membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, we argue that the TPP is an opportunity for Canada to get a foot in the Asia-Pacific door. More importantly, Canada’s exclusion from the TPP could disadvantage Canadian businesses.  Read Dawson Strategic’s full submission here. [Translate]

Canada is currently losing its position as a beacon for FDI. Between 1995 and 2004, FDI was equal to about 15 percent of domestic business investment, but that has now fallen to about seven percent. Key to our long-term success is a predictable, stable environment for investment and business development that starts with neutral depoliticized [...]