Why Canada needs a new U.S. strategy

TORONTO, Sept. 18, 2024 /CNW/ - Today the Public Policy Forum and the Munk School for Global Affairs & Public Policy launched a new report that presents a four-part strategy aimed at strengthening Canada's influence with the United States.

The report, called Matter More: A Canadian strategy for a changing United States, calls for a renewed, robust Canada-U.S. partnership that would reinforce Canada's role both on the continent and in the global arena through a handful of high-impact sectoral initiatives that focus on economics and security. These will enable Canada to better protect and project our national interests alongside our partners in a more divided and dangerous world. 

Authored by Edward Greenspon, President and CEO of PPF, Janice Stein, Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management and Negotiation and founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and Drew Fagan, Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, the report states: "When Canada deepens its co-operation with the United States, we Matter More to the rest of the world. And when Canada is relevant to the rest of the world, we Matter More to the U.S."

The report "accepts that geography is mostly destiny in Canada's case. Canada can't escape the gravitational pull of the U.S., nor should it want to. The world is decoupling as the United States competes for predominance with a rising China and a disruptive Russia. We know by instinct and analysis which camp we're in, even as the U.S. orbit becomes increasingly unstable."

The Matter More report lays out four areas of proposed policy action, including: 

Arctic security: Enhancing collaboration on Arctic defence by leveraging Canada's strategic geographical position and advanced surveillance technologies; 

Critical minerals: Strengthening continental efforts in the production and processing of minerals that are central to energy and military applications, allowing Canada and the United States to reduce reliance on less-trusted countries, particularly China, and support our allies; 

Energy and environment: Promoting joint independence and security through increased continental co-operation on the environment and energy, and sharing North America's extraordinary energy strengths with our partners; and  

Technology: Investing in advanced digital and life sciences technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing with an emphasis on our value-adds in global supply chains. 

The report notes that Canada has been slowly becoming of less consequence — our population is 12 percent as big as the U.S., but GDP is not even eight percent as large; California, Texas and New York have economies as large, or larger, than Canada. The report notes that "20 years ago, the GDP of Texas and Canada were equal; now Texas is 20 percent larger." The authors write, however, that they "believe this decline is eminently reversible."

"Canada has a bevy of assets to boost our prosperity and strengthen our place in North America and the world," the report says. "If anything, present circumstances make Canada more important than ever to the United States — and the world. The world does need more of Canada. The United States does. Our other allies do. But it is up to us to make it happen."

In preparation of this report, the PPF-Munk School team held seven roundtables with more than 100 participants online and in person, including in Washington, and dozens of one-on-one interviews on both sides of the border. The project team consulted with senior Canadian and U.S. government officials, and academics and business leaders from sectors such as energy, defence, manufacturing and finance. As well, the team undertook an exhaustive document review and attended conferences and seminars.  

SOURCE Public Policy Forum

For more information, please contact: Lani Krantz, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, [phone], [email protected]; Alison Uncles, VP, PPF Media + Communications, Public Policy Forum, [email protected]