Competitiveness

Project Highlight: Global Trade Alert

March 10, 2010
The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is a major partner in the online resource, Global Trade Alert (GTA). This project is an independent initiative also supported by the Centre for Economic Policy Research, the International Development Research Centre and the World Bank. It provides real-time information on state measures taken during the current global downturn that are likely to affect foreign commerce.

Canada-US Relations in 2010

March 10, 2010
A recent report published by the Fraser Institute indicates that "Canada's top economic security interest remains unimpeded access to the US market." The report, entitled ‘Canada-US Relations in 2010', argues that economic integration has become more challenging as concerns about border security, procurement, and carbon emissions prevent trade among the two countries.

Project Highlight: The Border Barometer

March 4, 2010
The Border Barometer, published in February 2010, is a tool developed by Western Washington University's Border Policy Research Institute, and University at Buffalo's Regional Institute of economic activity along the US-Canadian border. Published annually, the Border Barometer serves to provide a clearer understanding of trade and security issues that arise along the border and at individual ports of entry. It is a project funded by the BORDERNET initiative of the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Read the Border Barometer

Mexico Rises on Influential FDI Index

February 19, 2010
Mexico has substantially improved its ranking on an influential list of destinations for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The 2010 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, produced by A. T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm, indexes the outlook of senior executives at many of the largest companies in the world.

Obama’s Budget: Deeper Deficit met with Dissent

February 12, 2010
On February 1, 2010, US President Barack Obama announced his government's economic priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. In the 2011 Budget Obama revealed that he would need to take the country US $3.8 trillion further into debt in an effort to maintain economic recovery.

Testimony: Ben Bernanke on Federal Reserve's Exit Strategy

February 10, 2010
(Excerpt from the Federal Reserve System) Chairman Ben S. Bernanke Federal Reserve's exit strategy Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. February 10, 2010 Statement as prepared for delivery.

Obama's Flawed Export Plan

February 26, 2010
News that global trade contracted in 2009 underscores the need for Obama's trade strategy to include negotiating exchange rates with Asian countries and promoting free trade agreements, says IIE's Gary Hufbauer. Read more.

The Cost of Climate Change Commitments: How Have Canada and the US Moved Forward Since Copenhagen?

February 11, 2010
The Fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP-15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concluded on December 19, 2009 without long-term targets after a 31-hour negotiating marathon. The conference, which saw the creation of the Copenhagen Accord, has been criticized as "a predictable disappointment" due to fears of economic repercussions, high domestic political stakes, and political finger-pointing.

US and Canada Reach Agreement on Buy American

February 8, 2010
Office of the United States Trade Representative For Immediate Release: February 5, 2010 Joint Statement from United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk and Canada's Minister of International Trade, Peter Van Loan, on US-Canada Agreement on Government Procurement Issues The United States and Canada have reached a tentative agreement on government procurement. The agreement is subject to completion of our respective domestic approval processes. This agreement has two major elements.