Canada’s prosperity is strongly dependent on its access to international markets , and its ability to compete for international investment and talent. There is a critical need to ensure that Canada’s approach to international economic relations is proactive, strategic, and evidence-based.
The C.D. Howe Institute’s International Economic Policy program provides essential policy intelligence to policy and business leaders seeking to navigate the rapidly-evolving global competitive environment.
The Program publishes research papers and convenes policy conferences, roundtables and informal events and discussions. There are three core areas of research: increasing Canada’s competitiveness by better capturing the benefits of open trade and investment; prioritizing and concluding successful trade and investment agreements; and understanding and influencing rules and issues affecting Canadians in the global marketplace.
The Council provides guidance and support to the program and meets periodically to review and discuss its output and impact, and to discuss relevant issues as they arise. The program’s research and publication activities are led by Daniel Schwanen, an award-winning economist with an extensive track record of influential research on cross-border trade and investment matters.
Co-Chairs

Wendy Dobson
Professor Emerita, Economic Analysis and Policy, Rotman School of Management
Pierre S. Pettigrew
Former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for International TradeMembers

Stephen Beatty
Managing Director, Toyota Canada Inc.
Stefanie Beck
Deputy Minister, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Stuart Bergman
Chief Economist & Vice President, Export Development Canada
Dan Ciuriak
Fellow-In-Residence
John Curtis
Senior Fellow
Robert Dimitrieff
President, Patriot Forge Co.
Rick Ekstein
President and CEO, Phaze 3 Management
Carolina Gallo
Vice-President, Government Affairs and Policy, GE Canada
Victor Gomez
AVP, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Sun Life FinancialResearch Papers



Canada’s Pivot to the Indo-Pacific: The Strategic Importance of Prioritizing a Trade Agreement with ASEAN
February 10, 2022
Internal Trade in Focus: Ten Ways to Improve the Canadian Free Trade Agreement
July 7, 2020