Canada and the World, Ep. 5: The NAFTA standoff

As Washington negotiations continue on NAFTA, what are the main sticking points for Canada and the US? This episode dives into what has been said publicly and what has likely been discussed behind the scenes — from Chapter 19 to culture to supply management. How do these issues compare and relate to CETA and the TPP? How has uncertainty around the deal impacted markets and sectors such as autos and agriculture? Host Bessma Momani once again brings together three experts to explain what you need to know on the issue.  

Our host

Bessma Momani is professor at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and University of Waterloo and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. She’s also a non-resident senior fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington and a Fulbright Scholar. She has been non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. and a 2015 Fellow at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. She’s a frequent analyst and expert on international affairs in Canadian and global media. 

This week’s guests

Hugo Perezcano Díaz is the deputy director of International Economic Law with CIGI’s International Law Research Program (ILRP), and was previously a CIGI senior fellow with the ILRP. Prior to joining CIGI, he was an attorney and international trade consultant in private practice. Hugo worked for the Mexican government’s Ministry of Economy for nearly 20 years, serving as head of the trade remedy authority, and formerly as general counsel for international trade negotiations. Hugo was lead counsel for Mexico in investor-state dispute settlement cases under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other international investment agreements. He also worked on dispute settlement cases between states, conducted under trade agreements that include NAFTA and the World Trade Organization agreement.

Patricia Goff is associate professor of the department of political science at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo, Ont. She specializes in international political economy, international relations theory, and international organization, with a particular interest in trade, intellectual property, and the cultural capacity of international organizations. 

Rachel Ziemba is an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Her research focuses on the interlinkages between economics, finance and security issues. She previously served as head of emerging and frontier markets and co-head of research at Roubini Global Economics, a global macro strategy and country risk firm. Before that, Rachel also worked for the Canadian International Development Agency in Cairo, Egypt, and the International Development Research Centre in Ottawa, Canada on development economic issues.

Canada and The World is produced and edited by Matthew Markudis. Each episode is available for download (below) and can also be found on iTunes and other podcast applications.