In pursuit of leverage: The evolution of Canadian trade and investment policies in an increasingly multipolar world

Abstract

Structural changes in the North American and global economies since 2000 have contributed to gradual shifts in Canada's international economic policies. Although the United States remains Canada's primary trading partner, underlying economic and political factors are leading Canadian governments to integrate the previously US-centered focus of these policies within a broader global framework. This article explores these trends through comparative and intermes- tic policy lenses within a broader global framework. Canadian policies in North America must increasingly accommodate the multi-dimensional character of trade and investment links and the trans-governmental institutions that have evolved to broker differences among the governments of major economies. The shifting focus of US and Canadian trade and economic policy discussions outside of North America are contributing to decentralized approaches to international governance in which both countries pursue tactically selective approaches to selective issue clusters, with varying degrees of cooperation reflecting the relative convergence or divergence of their national interests and priorities.

Keywords:

• mulipolarity
• unipolarity
• Canadian trade and investment policy
• foreign direct investment
• NAFTA
• Canada-US relations

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Geoffrey E. Hale

Geoffrey Hale is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Lethbridge, specializing in public policy, political economy and Canada-US relations. His most recent books are So Near Yet So Far: The Public and Hidden Worlds of Canada-US Relations (UBC Press, 2012), and Borders and Bridges: Canada's Policy Relations in North America (Oxford University Press, 2010, co-edited with Monica Gattinger).