The Canada-U.S. relationship has deteriorated significantly since the election of Donald Trump in 2016 in several ways. On the defence front, The United States heavily criticized its NATO allies on their spending towards the alliance, Canada included. On trade President Trump demanded the renegotiation of NAFTA, imposed tariffs on Canadian steel citing national security concerns, and recently re-imposed tariffs on Canadian aluminum exports, arguing it was flooding U.S. markets. Canada retaliated with imposing tariffs on American goods to the tune of $2.7 billion dollars.
There’s lingering uncertainty on the future of the Canada-U.S. relationship, especially in a post-COVID-19 world. This webinar aims at exploring these uncertainties, and how they may be resolved depending on the make-up of Congress post-election, and who assumes the presidency in 2021. What can Canadians expect under four more years of President Trump? What would a Democratic Presidency and/or Congress mean for the future? These are some of the questions our panelists will seek to answer.
Panelists
Dr. Meredith Lilly is an associate professor and holder of the Simon Reisman Chair in International Affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. She is a national award-winning researcher with extensive experience in public policy development and executive branch decision making. She previously served as Foreign Affairs and International Trade Advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and oversaw within the Prime Minister’s Office the conclusion of Canada’s free-trade negotiations with the European Union, South Korea, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, among other files. She currently serves as Associate Director of the MA program at NPSIA and her research focuses on international labour mobility and Canada-US trade relations. She is also a frequent media commentator on North American trade relations and the US Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Brian Bow, Dalhousie University
Dr. Brian Bow is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for the Study of Security and Development at Dalhousie University. His research covers Canadian foreign and defence policy; Canada-US relations; cross-border policy coordination through bureaucratic networks; domestic politics of international trade; and regional integration, particularly in North America. He is the author of The Politics of Linkage: Power, Interdependence, and Ideas in Canada-US Relations, which was awarded the Donner Prize, as the best public policy book published in Canada.
Andrea Charron, University of Manitoba
Dr. Andrea Charron holds a PhD from the Royal Military College of Canada (Department of War Studies). She obtained a Masters in International Relations from Webster University, Leiden, The Netherlands, a Master’s of Public Administration from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Queen’s University. Her research and teaching areas include NORAD, the Arctic, foreign and defence policy and sanctions. She serves on Canada’s Department of National Defence’s Defence Advisory Board and has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Charron worked for various federal departments including the Privy Council Office in the Security and Intelligence Secretariat and Canada’s Revenue Agency. She is now Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies and is Associate Professor in Political Studies at the University of Manitoba.
Moderator
Richard Madan, CTV National News
Richard Madan is the Washington Bureau Correspondent for CTV News. Madan has been located in Washington, D.C. since 2016, covering much of the 2016 election and the 2018 midterm elections. He is often positioned at the White House.
An accomplished journalist and political specialist, Madan has covered dozens of political and economic summits around the world. Madan joined CTV in January 2010 as a Parliamentary Correspondent for CTV’s Ottawa Bureau prior to moving to Washington.
Madan has covered all the important NAFTA rounds including Mexico City, becoming the first journalist to break the news a deal between Canada and the U.S. was reached.
He also reported live from Justin Trudeau's campaign headquarters when CTV News first declared a Liberal majority on the night of the historic 2015 election. He was also CTV’s lead reporter assigned to the NDP campaign during the 2011 federal election. Madan chronicled the party’s meteoric rise, and was one of the first to report on the historic breakthrough of Jack Layton and his party.
Beyond reporting from the campaign trail or breaking political stories on Parliament Hill, Madan has also covered global economic summits, provincial elections, U.S. primaries, and reported live from Chicago when Barack Obama was first elected President of the U.S.
Back in Canada, Madan’s reporting on veteran issues exposed a mental health crisis among Canadian Forces personnel who served in Afghanistan – stories which led to changes in cabinet and more importantly, in how Ottawa treats Canada’s injured veterans. He was awarded RTDNA’s 2015 Ross Munro Award in recognition of this groundbreaking series.
Madan's high profile international assignments brought him to earthquake-devastated Haiti, on board a Canadian warship patrolling the Black Sea, to live reports following the deadly terror attack in Orlando, Florida.
Born in Georgia, U.S., Madan moved to Canada as a child but closely followed politics on both sides of the border, helping to spark his interest and subsequent career in politics.
After studying Political Science at Carleton University, Madan worked as a policy aide to various MPs on Parliament Hill. He then made the leap into journalism as a freelance reporter for various newspapers in Ottawa.
Madan got his start in television with Global News in Winnipeg. He then joined the CBC as its Legislative Reporter in 2000, working out of the Manitoba Legislature. In 2005, Madan returned to Ontario joining CityNews as the station’s Political Specialist, frequently travelling between Toronto and Ottawa before joining CTV News in 2010. He speaks English and French.
Off-air, Madan enjoys keeping current on Canadian and U.S. politics. He loves to travel and play music. He is an amateur piano, guitar, and accordion player. He's a member of "The Superdelegates" - the band that performs at Ottawa's annual Press Gallery Dinner.