Canada’s forest products industry is facing barriers to growth that require innovation, new trade markets and supportive government policies to overcome, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In Branching Out: How Canada’s Forestry Products Sector is Reshaping its Future, author Eric Miller examines how the sector is responding to its challenges recommends policies that will help expand its contribution to the Canadian economy.

For the last decade, the Government of Canada has been determined to build a new bridge across the Detroit River – the busiest trade corridor on the Canada-United States border. This drive led Canada to agree in its 2012 “Crossing Agreement” with Michigan to basically finance the entire project and to take all of the financial risk related to its future operations. Yet, these blanket commitments may prove problematic as project costs estimates for its “Gordie Howe Bridge” project continue to grow. Official project estimates were re-set in April 2018 to C$4.8 million – 17% above the original C$4 billion budget.

Eric Miller speaks to Mike Blanchfield about Ontario’s threats of retaliation about U.S. “Buy American” rules.

Eric Miller speaks to Eric Kulisch of Automotive News about the U.S. strategy and Canadian and Mexican responses in the NAFTA negotiations.

Eric Miller offers his summation of the state of play of the NAFTA negotiations after the Montreal Round to Paul Vieira and William Mauldin.

Eric Miller speaks to David Lynch about how the International Trade Commission vote on the Bombardier-Boeing case will impact the NAFTA negotiations.

Eric Miller speaks to David Lynch about automotive issues at play in the NAFTA negotiations and how the different countries are approaching the issues.