Tariffs get all the headlines, but Ian Madsen reveals it’s non-tariff barriers, quietly imposed rules, subsidies, and restrictions that truly stifle free trade. From telecom ownership limits to convoluted regulations, these hidden obstacles drive up prices, choke innovation, and shield domestic industries from global competition. Canada ranks among the worst offenders. If Ottawa is serious about free trade, it’s time to tackle the red tape, not just the tariffs.
Big Topics & Big Ideas
Trump’s tariffs may have hurt trade, but they’ve lit a fire under Canada’s long-stalled internal free trade agenda, writes Lee Harding. Provinces are finally slashing barriers, harmonizing credentials, and opening markets across borders. Ontario leads the charge, and more are following. It’s a win for workers, consumers and business—and maybe, just maybe, for Canadian unity too.
Big Topics & Big Ideas
A Snapshot of Property Rights Protection in Canada After 10 years
The writ has been dropped and Albertans are off to the polls on May 29. That leaves just four weeks for political leaders and voters to sort out what is arguably the most divisive, yet significant, issue for this election - health care. On Day 2, NDP leader Rachel...
U.S. tariffs and Alberta’s rising demands may feel like threats, but Lee Harding sees opportunity. Trump’s pressure is spurring long-overdue reforms: stronger borders, military renewal, and growing calls for pipelines and freer internal trade. Alberta’s ultimatum to Ottawa could lead to changes in energy policy and equalization, ultimately benefiting all of Canada. If handled wisely, today’s tensions could drive economic renewal and a more unified, self-reliant country. Canada’s reckoning might be its revival.
Ending Canada’s dairy supply management system would lower costs, boost exports, and create greater economic opportunities. The Trump administration’s trade warfare is not all bad. Aside from spurring overdue interprovincial trade barrier elimination and the...
Dalhousie University food professor Sylvain Charlebois takes us into the heated debate surrounding Canada's dairy supply management system and calls for its reform. Critques by U.S. President Donald Trump during NAFTA negotiations and since have revived...
Ottawa’s ideological policies have left Canada vulnerable. Strategic action is needed now As Canada navigates an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape, the next federal government must move beyond reflexive anti—Americanism regardless of its political...
Watch related Policy in Five video Without reform, Canada risks losing nearly half of its dairy farms by 2030, according to experts Few topics in Canadian agriculture generate as much debate as supply management in the dairy sector. The issue gained renewed...
With U.S. tariffs looming, Premiers push for border security, pipelines, and interprovincial trade reform After more than eight years of federal policies that have challenged the oil and gas industry, imagining Canadian energy policy in a post-Trudeau era is no...
Chronic deficits expose a political crisis, not a trade problem Lost amid the clamour and drama over trade, tariffs and industrial policy—particularly the controversy over potentially punitive duties on (now paused) Canadian exports to the United States—is the...
Canada’s best move? Strike a deal with Trump before it’s too late The Trump trade war is a major opportunity for Canada to think creatively and act in a way that secures our objectives. Instead of reacting defensively and sticking to outdated strategies, Canada...
Free trade is flawed, but protectionism is worse The United States has delayed its 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods for 30 days, giving Ottawa a brief window to assess its economic response. This pause should not be mistaken for a change in...