Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Dates and location
Pricing
Hours
Description
Canada’s Trade History, CUSMA, and Emerging Risks
This two-hour course provides CPAs with a practical introduction to Canadian trade and the evolving CUSMA/USMCA landscape. The session begins with a historical overview of Canada's trade model, tracing its evolution from a resource-based economy to manufacturing integration through the Auto Pact, Canada-U.S. free trade, NAFTA, and CUSMA. It then examines today's global trade environment, including rising protectionism, tariffs, industrial policy, supply chain realignment, friend-shoring, geopolitical risk, and the shift from a focus on efficiency toward resilience, security, and economic competitiveness.
The second half of the course will provide a practical primer on Canada-U.S. trade and the future of CUSMA/USMCA. Participants will learn how the agreement operates in practice, what is at stake in the 2026 Joint Review, and how emerging issues such as economic security, supply chain resilience, industrial policy, and North American competitiveness may shape future negotiations. The session will conclude with a practical discussion of the risks, opportunities, and planning considerations that CPAs should monitor as the review process unfolds.
Topics Include:
- Canada as a Trading Nation: Historical Foundations of Trade
- From Free Trade to Strategic Trade Policy
- Global Trade Trends: Tariffs, Geopolitics, and Supply Chains
- The Canada-U.S. Trade Relationship Today
- CUSMA/USMCA Primer
Note: Registration for this seminar closes December 7 at 3:00 p.m. (EDT).
Key Takeaways
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the historical development of Canadian trade policy, including the shift from resource exports to industrial integration, the Auto Pact, Canada–U.S. free trade, NAFTA, and CUSMA.
- Interpret major trends in global trade, including protectionism, tariffs, industrial policy, supply chain resilience, sanctions, export controls, friend-shoring, and U.S.–China strategic competition.
- Assess the current structure of Canada–U.S. trade and understand how changes in U.S. policy affect Canadian SMEs through exports, imports, supplier costs, customers, currency, and investment decisions.
- Understand the core features of CUSMA/USMCA, including tariff preferences, rules of origin, customs documentation, services, autos, procurement, digital trade, and dispute settlement.
- Apply trade-policy insights to CPA practice by advising clients or organizations on supply chain exposure, tariff scenarios, customs compliance, pricing, sourcing, working capital, and cross-border risk management.
Who Will Benefit
How to Access the Course
This course is a live webinar. You must attend the live course to receive verifiable CPD hours. We recommend you join five minutes prior to the scheduled starting time. To get the full experience of this interactive course, use a computer that has video and microphone capabilities.
If available, course materials can be accessed 2 business days prior to the course and should be downloaded in advance.
Registration, cancellation, withdrawal and all other CPA Ontario PD policies can be found here.
Speaker(s)
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Trevor Tombe is a Professor at the University of Calgary’s Department of Economics and the Director of Canada’s Productivity Initiative at The School of Public Policy. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of Toronto and undergraduate degree in finance from Simon Fraser University. His research explores a broad set of topics, including, international trade, public finances, and fiscal federalism. Tombe's research not only analyzes potential tariff impacts but also provides concrete, evidence-based recommendations for strengthening Canada’s economic resilience. |
