Suhaib Riaz (English only)
Associate Professor, Telfer School of Management
Professor Riaz's research is focused on grand challenges of global significance such as inequality, socioeconomic and political crises.
"Canadians have ignored the deep economic and political fault lines within the U.S. that have been building up over decades and their implications for us. The U.S. trade imbalance with several countries is an easier point of blame politically for U.S. actors instead of attention to the structural changes needed for access to services like health care and education for those who have not seen gains in recent decades in terms of better jobs, income or wealth – the bottom half and many even in the middle class. The external blame sooner or later had to also land on Canada.
These fault lines are not going away anytime soon because of the U.S. political system, where funding by lobbies and political polarization pushes back against structural changes. Canada’s position therefore has to be to placate in the short-to-medium term to preserve what we can of the economic relationship while generating options globally with gradually increasing commitments for the longer term. There are undoubtedly political landmines in other locations as well, but it is time to learn more about them to build more resilience in both our markets and supply networks."
Errol Mendes (English only)
Full Professor, Faculty of Law – Common Law Section
Professor Mendes’ research includes constitutional and human rights law, global governance, public international law.
"What does Canada do now? Don’t rise to Trump's bait and keep undermining his threats with increasing partnerships with other states."
David Gray (English and French)
Full Professor, Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences
Professor Gray can discuss the impact of tariffs on the U.S. economy and the American population.
"Speaking from an economic point-of-view, it is very much in the interests of the USA to strike up trade agreements with Canada that consist of fairly liberal trade. The best policy for the USA would be free trade, but unfortunately that seems to be unattainable. The status quo is bad for manufacturing in the USA."