The Toronto Branch of the Canadian International Council presents: 

If Canada is so important to the United States, why is Ottawa so impotent in Washington?

with
Stephen Clarkson & Larry Herman

This two-part question will be addressed in a conversation between the well-known University of Toronto political economist, Stephen Clarkson, and Canada’s leading international trade lawyer, Larry Herman.

Stephen Clarkson will touch on the question by discussing his analysis in the just-published third volume of his trilogy on North America, Dependent America? How Canada and Mexico Construct US Power, which he co-wrote with Matto Mildenberger.

Larry Herman, who has deep professional knowledge of Canada-US trade conflicts, will comment on the apparent paradox that, while crucially important to the United States, Canada appears unusually weak when negotiating with Washington.

About Speakers:
Stephen Clarkson has long taught at the University of Toronto where he has specialized in the political economy of North America. He is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and a member of the Order of Canada.

Larry Herman was a Canadian diplomat at the UN in Geneva and New York in the 1970s. Since leaving the diplomatic service 30 years ago, he has advised governments, international organizations and companies on international law. He is a senior fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute.