US Canada Relations case study

[Room 1425 10am- 12pm]

 

"Getting attention of Big Brothers"

 

 

Intro by Jack Austin

 

• Canada's the most important relations - US/Canada
• our foreign policy concern
• Canada/US relation "getting attention of Big Brothers"
  •      keep a very low profile with US
• Mexico/US relations
  •      very high profile in the US
• question: attention for what reason? why do we want the attention?

 

 

Alexander Moens

• US/Canada boarder becoming checkpoint - enormously unpleasant ; avaerage cost 20 millions
• traditionally, our best approach, not to be visible, but that changed  - we have to be visible
  • 9/11 - security
    • security is right between us
    • secuirty is a key issue to the US
• what can we do to make it to genuine boarder; how can we make it as a single economic space
• reaching similar outcomes by different means
• US congress - immune to supernationalism
  • national governemnt
  • does not delegate any soverignty
• approach with business model up
• Canada  
  • since 9/11, Americans moved to security-nationalism
  • we tried to catch up like them
  • built 19century nation borders (US)
  • now entering American economic nationalism 
    • protectionism,
  • enormous risk of significant mobility loss, prosperity loss, foriegn policy loss
• need harmonized security criteria on immigrants/refugees
• need to do better job on security check
• need to build economic relationship other than NAFTA agreement
  • think about "Canada/US product standard, regulatory area"
    • mutural product standards

 

 

Brenda Swick

• Canada is the US's largest energy supplier, export market
  • energy - oil, gas
  • secure supplier of energy to the US
• protect digital industry
• Canada does not have a power to cease/detain goods (counterfeit goods)
  • needs border enforcement system
• 90% of the report of the US is about China
• attract bad attention from the US?
• US - local economic business interests
  • have impact on their local level industries would get his attention
    • want them to take notice the value of Canada in the North American market
    • export sale/development of energy
• recommendation: Canada ought to explore with other jurisdiction to diversify of provision of energy and the export market

 

 

- what can be done with US political system 

 

 

Peter Leitch

• 25yrs of BC - location of film/tv industry
  • policies to maintain that BC is cultural industry
  • recent years, significant BC's economy and Canada's
• 80% is US based
  • but not enough recognition
• potential leader of digital enertainment/industry
  • developing facilities
• we should loosen Canadian content laws
  • sliding scales
• review Canadian content laws(eliminate)
• culture will develop itself

 

 

James Dean 

• American systems - more risk taking and enterpreneurial 
• US fianancial system  - volatile
• TD bought commerce bank - 1100 retail outlets in the US
• our presence on Wall Street is very important
  • Royal Bank (full-paid ad)
• world economic forum
  • last October(2008)
  • in terms of health, service, survival measured by sounded banking(stock) Canada was number 1
• corporate culture
• ogopoly - our big banks have 80% of the market share 
  • well capitalized
• Toronto 300,000 employees in finance industry
• global financial index - Toronto # 12
• Canada has cross-country network
  • stable deposit network
  • well supervised firewall
• we have better reuglatory system in balance
• push Canada as major financial area 

 

 

 

 

Four Big Points:

 

 

- harmonize the border (economic/security space) 

-  use energy as leverage 

- let us reduce competitive distinction so we can build stronger sectoral industry

-take control of banking system (Wall Street)

 

 

 

 

- drift in the relationship (recoverable?) 

     1. shift in power (political/economic power) - politician tend to look to the South

     2. demographic (Canada- euro-asian society) (US - euro-latino society)

     3. security (since 9/11) - thicking the US border, huge decline the US citizens/residents to Canada

                    tourism, eocnomic decline

- can be a lot harmonization that we can do

- want the US attention? why? 

- any big ideas to turn the relationship into different way

- should be measuring what we can do internationally

 

Swick - regulations: ex) container sizes

• Canada has regulations;
  • process products, have to sell in designated containers.
• in the US, huge range of container sizes
• cosumers do not get diverse choices

          - energy

• let's not be a captive market/supplier
• explore diversity/alternative market

 

 

 

- water : not eager to send/export water to the south 

 

Moens - think about water at home, potential commodity

• real system of property rights on water before we send water away
• sustainable coherent water rights (inculding property) before we think about tradable water

 

 

 

- role of some national relations in Canada and the US

 

Dean - border thicken because of the interest; can't negotiate properly between two nations

• regulations,
• we have NAFTA we do not have common tariff
• why do we need border securities?
  • turns everyone as smugglers

 

 

- how important Canadian soverignty ,  how different are we from the US

• relationship is there
• Canada/US; both federal states
• US-Canada - federal states relating
  • variety jurisdictions
• sub-national relations
• 1984 treaty - sub-national agreement between BC/Seattle
• problem - we know too much, but understand less
  • bilingual, bicultural (American-Canadian)
  • the degree of understanding/fluency of other countries' ways are not what we think it is
• encourage/develop flow of information

 

 

- Canada using closeness to the US; do we have leverage for the US? 

 

 

 

- North American cultural system Culture - being able to tell our own stories

• border being tight, difficult to travel to the US
• Canada relying on foriegn business - can be interrupted by politics/ dollar fluctuation

 

Dean - since NAFTA, our culture has been more distinct

• we are euro-asian
• we are economically powerful
• the border is more open than 30yrs ago, 
• closeness to US and other countries in the world strengthened our identity 
• we should be exporting our culture

 

Moen - self-confidence as a Canadian

• unless we have this confidence, should come up with a big helpful plan if we want the US's attention
• when we have the US president on our side, we can have an impact 
• agreement, where the US would teach about Canada during social studies class and vice versa
  • so they have an idea of neighbouring countries

 

Leitch - no barriers to deisgn programs

• digital entertainment centre
  • educational systems to attract the best of international students
• develop groups of talent students (cutlurally)
  • educate business skills
• need to develop path ways
• open to immigration
  • Microsoft in Canada because they could not get talents in the US

 

 

- teaching US/Canada studies - good idea

- having influence on US policy 

• Tony Blair - George Bush

- Canadian values

• perception of Canadians in the US
• Candians  = foreigners
• demonization of Canada by the right wing(US) 

 

 

- how do we get Canada political mandate to harmonize?

 

Swick - Canada lost momentum to China

• needs to have leadership

 

Moen - more free trade, more choices for consumer

 

 

 

 

Summary by Austin 

• how confident Canada is about our future?
• strong economy coming around after Second World War
• strong trade relationship with the US
• are we confident about our soverignty
  • in this era of globalization (we lost dominance in relationship with US)
  • dependent on natural resources
  • are we good traders in environmental technologies?
• one-hand tied, such as certain agricultural regulations
• Indian and China
  • have backed-away, and now we are trying to gain the position again
• by renewing with the US, by doing things closer to US wanted from us, what do we get?
• is there a one big idea that will make difference to US-Canada relationship?
• failure of university system to teach US history/politics 

 

 

Summary by Dean

• banks: we have competitive advantage
• Austria - colonized eastern europe with their bank

 

 

Summary by Leitch

• strategic partnership in certain sectors
• keep working in building these relationships

 

 

Summary by Swick

• find a way to engage them understand that we are value-added in North American market
• engage in diversification in export market
  • energy goods

 

 

end of session