Saskatchewan Provincial Trade Policy and the Canada-EU Trade Agreement Briefing Paper April 6, 2009
Posted by infinitystudies in Agriculture, Energy, Environment, International, Places, Research, Trade.add a comment
Prepared by:
Curtis Matwychuk-Goodman
written March 19, 2009
Abstract
Saskatchewan should be considered Canada’s third fastest growing regional economy. Since the turn of the century Saskatchewan’s economy has diversified and expanded in many ways. With a population of slightly more than a million people Saskatchewan has increased economic output and tripled the value of exports in the past twenty years. As Canada begins to negotiate an increased economic partnership with the European Union how will this impact Saskatchewan’s trade profile?
This paper will be divided into three sections. First it will examine the foreign trade profile of Saskatchewan as a province. This section will cover an overview of Saskatchewan’s trade profile including recent economic performance and major trading partners. In addition this paper seeks to elaborate on the policy process of Saskatchewan – specifically examining the role of institutional actors like the political executive, legislature and the bureaucracy, as well as sector considerations and nongovernmental actors.
The second section of this paper seeks to provide a review of the relevant issues of the proposed Canada – European Union trade agreement. In 2007 a Joint-Framework Proposal report entitled Assessing the Costs and Benefits of a closer EU-Canada Economic Partnership was released. This paper will identify major issues affecting Saskatchewan’s international trade interests from Parts II and III of the Joint Study Report.
The final section of this paper will identify Canada’s position on a proposed EU trade agreement. It will identify specific issues and priorities of the Saskatchewan delegation. A short-list of key recommendations will provide insight on target areas to improve trade relations between Saskatchewan and the EU.
Ultimately this paper will provide the reader with a comprehensive background of Saskatchewan’s international trade profile while reconciling such information with the proposed Canada – EU Trade Agreement. In the end the reader will have a clear understanding of how Saskatchewan is involved in the trade negotiations and identify realistic impacts and policy outcomes of their involvement.
