Beyond the speeches: scholars offer analysis on trade wars, rising populism, and the evolving role of the U.S. and EU within the international arena

As global leaders gather in Davos amid escalating tensions over trade, territorial sovereignty, NATO and the future of the rules-based international order, 91亚色 experts are available to provide historical context, policy analysis and grounded insight into what these developments mean for Canada and the world.

The role of the EU in trade, alliances and global governance

is a professor of public policy and sustainability at the Schulich School of Business and director of the BBA/iBBA programs. He is available speak on:

• the European Union鈥檚 capacity to respond collectively to U.S. tariff threats
• the EU鈥檚 role as a counterweight in global trade and investment disputes
• Canada鈥檚 prospects for trade diversification and deeper alignment with Europe
• why policy responses differ across jurisdictions facing similar geopolitical shocks

Eberlein鈥檚 research focuses on business-government relations and comparative public policy, with particular expertise on Canada and the European Union.

American expansionism, military history and a challenged world order

As a professor of U.S. and global history, is available to offer insight on:

• the historical roots of U.S. strategic interest in the Arctic and North American security
• historical precedents for U.S. territorial expansion and imperial rhetoric
• the erosion of Pax Americana and what history suggests about transitions between global orders

Cothran is the author of Remembering the Modoc War: Redemptive Violence and the Making of American Innocence, which received the 2015 Robert M. Utley Prize for the best book in military history from the Western History Association, and The Edwin Fox: How an Ordinary Sailing Ship Connected the World in the Age of Globalization, 1850-1914. He has written for The New 91亚色 Times and Aeon and Indian Country Today, among other publications.

Globalization, populism and the strain on liberal democracy

Professor emeritus and senior scholar in the department of politics Daniel Drache is available to comment on:聽

• the rise of populism and its effects on liberal democratic institutions
• the international political economy and global governance institutions, including the WTO
• NAFTA, free trade, tariffs and North American economic integration
• borders as policy tools in an era of economic nationalism

Drache is a research fellow at the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies and the co-author of Has Populism Won? The Assault on Liberal Democracy, which examines how and why global populism has taken root across different national contexts. He has also written numerous articles mapping and tracking populism for The Conversation.

Immigration, mass deportation and the politics of exclusion

is an associate professor in the department of Equity Studies and a visiting scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School for Public Health. She is available to provide insight on:

• colonial legacies, semi-sovereignty and how great powers exploit unresolved decolonization processes in strategically significant territories like Greenland
• immigration policy, undocumented migrants and mass deportation rhetoric
• how domestic immigration policy intersects with global instability and geopolitics
• the impacts of immigration crackdowns on marginalized and racialized communities

Su is a leading expert on forced migration. Her writing has been published widely in academic journals and major media outlets, including The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.

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A defining feature of the ongoing federal election campaign has been the of the environment and climate change as top-of-mind issues due to threats by the United States against Canadian sovereignty, security and trade.

But how Canada responds to U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 actions will also have profound implications for its future greenhouse gas emissions and its economy.

The current federal election is very different from those held in 2015, 2019 and 2021. In those elections, the environment and climate were central issues. , more than 60 per cent of Canadian voters chose parties (Liberal, NDP, Bloc Qu茅b茅cois and Green) that advocated for strong climate action, including some form of carbon pricing.

The increasing evidence of the consequences of a changing climate had placed the environment and climate change in the minds of Canadians for nearly two decades. The political landscape since then.

The role of inflation

Although Trump鈥檚 second presidency is often cited as the trigger point for a decline of the environment as a top-of-mind concern for Canadians, the a year earlier, in the fall of 2023.

Despite the record wildfire season that summer, the , triggered in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine, moved economic concerns to the forefront of the public鈥檚 mind. Government stimulus programs needed to counter the impacts of the pandemic contributed to inflationary pressures, prompting the to hike interest rates in response, adding to Canadians鈥� economic distress.

Amid high inflation and high interest rates, the Liberal government鈥檚 climate strategies 鈥� especially consumer carbon pricing 鈥� became an easy political target, particularly for a with little apparent concern for the climate challenge.

But even though climate change is no longer top of mind for Canadians, it remains a significant and caused by human activity. And perhaps surprisingly, despite the criticism levelled at the consumer carbon tax, between of non-Conservative leaning voters (those intending to cast their ballots for Liberal, NDP, Bloc and Green candidates) continue to support the concept of carbon pricing.

Focus on fossil fuels

Despite this, many and leaders have responded to Trump鈥檚 actions by focusing on natural resource exports, especially fossil fuels and , to bolster the Canadian economy.

This has been accompanied by environmental review and approval processes for resource extraction and export projects like pipelines, and to expand their subsidization by taxpayers.

Discussions about the climate implications of these initiatives have been noticeably absent. So have conversations about the long-term economic viability and desirability of expanding Canada鈥檚 dependency on resource commodity exports to increasingly uncertain global markets.

On fossil fuels, the and others are predicting that global consumption will peak within the next decade. This will reflect the falling costs of renewable energy, improving energy productivity and the by mid-century.

The peak will likely happen before any new major export infrastructure can be built in Canada, regardless of what review and approval requirements they might be subjected to.

In a world of declining fossil fuel consumption, Canada 鈥� increasingly reliant on high-cost and high-carbon production like and fracked and liquified 鈥� seems more likely to be among the earliest producers to fall than among the last standing. Public investments in new export infrastructure look like dubious propositions in this scenario.

International markets for critical minerals are likely to remain in as the in renewable energy and energy storage accelerates to on costly and difficult-to-access materials.

Mining operations also continue to have substantial environmental impacts with significant implications

Backwards approach

All of this means there must be continued of projects in terms of their implications for climate change, environmental sustainability and reconciliation, as well as their economic viability and potential for taxpayers 鈥� not a further streamlining of review processes.

Falling back on fossil fuels in response to Trump is a fundamentally backwards approach. It ignores the implications of the climate challenge. As recently noted by at least one Canadian , it also overlooks the need to not just diversify Canada鈥檚 markets, but to diversify Canadian products as well.

Canada must design and implement strategies that transform its industries from producers of low-value raw materials into producers of higher-value products and services for a world that must decarbonize and advance sustainability.

As a recently pointed out, climate change remains a real threat to Canadians and their communities. It鈥檚 not going away regardless of what might say.

As they campaign to lead the country, the situation requires more substantive responses from Canada鈥檚 would-be prime ministers than Canadians are getting right now.

By Professor Mark Winfield, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, 91亚色

The post Canada鈥檚 federal election doesn鈥檛 seem like it鈥檚 about climate change, but it actually聽is appeared first on News@91亚色.

TORONTO, Wednesday, April 26 鈥� As the race for underwater resource extraction clashes with regional and international security, militarization and boundary claims, a workshop at 91亚色 will debate the issues and develop a framework for future negotiations.

The day-long Geotechnical Politics of Ocean Frontiers: The Canadian North & the Indo-Pacific interdisciplinary workshop on peace and security will take place Friday, April 28. It will open with a keynote address by Peggy Mason, president of the Rideau Institute and former Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament to the United Nations, at 9:30am.

Mason will discuss the necessity of peaceful co-operation and the importance of arms control even while there are pervasive situations and regional problems challenging national and international security.

WHEN: Friday, April, 28, from 9am to 6pm

WHO: 10am 鈥� Allison Stewart, deputy director of oceans law & policy at Global Affairs, will talk about 鈥淎rctic Governance: Myths and Reality,鈥� followed by Adele Buckley of the Canadian Pugwash Group, who will talk about the importance of 鈥淪ustaining Peace in the Arctic鈥�.

11:10am 鈥� David Harries, associate executive director of Foresight Canada, will present 鈥淲hither Arctic peace and security: A role for Strategic Foresight?鈥� followed by Venilla Rajaguru of 91亚色 U talking about 鈥淎sserting Peace in the South China Sea.鈥�

2pm 鈥� Professor Ted McDorman, an expert in international law and ocean law of the University of Victoria, who formerly worked on Arctic-related matters at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, will look at 鈥淲hat epistemic, legal and political frameworks are effective/ineffective in construction 鈥楶eace鈥�? Why?鈥�

WHERE: Kaneff Tower, Room 524, Keele campus, 91亚色 (Number 95 on the .)

A full list of speakers and workshop objects is available upon request.

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91亚色 is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91亚色 students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world鈥檚 most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91亚色 U is an internationally recognized research university 鈥� our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91亚色 is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. 91亚色 U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact:

Sandra McLean, 91亚色 Media Relations, 416-736-2100 ext. 22097,聽sandramc@yorku.ca

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