Workshops and Roundtables

For more than thirty years, Canada’s foreign and trade policy rested on the assumption of American stability. Yet the growing politicization of U.S. trade policy, the strategic use of tariffs and legal tools, the questioning of multilateral commitments, and institutional volatility in Washington have profoundly reshaped Canada’s strategic environment. North American integration no longer acts as a shield: it now exposes Canada to U.S. domestic political shocks.

This workshop examines how to rebuild Canada’s foreign and economic policy in this context. It will analyze the limits of trade agreements in the face of recurring shocks, the need to integrate U.S. political risk into Canada’s strategic approach, and the imperative to rethink defence policy in order to ensure greater strategic autonomy and a stronger alignment between security and economic objectives.

Topics for discussion include: the repositioning of commercial federalism and the increasing role of the provinces; the Canadian Free Trade Agreement as an infrastructure of economic cohesion; and the deployment of genuine economic intelligence to protect strategic sectors and secure value chains.

With the CUSMA/USMCA review approaching in 2026, the central question is clear: how can Canada reduce its structural vulnerability without breaking North American integration?

Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, 5G networks, microprocessors, and critical digital infrastructure are reshaping global power dynamics. This workshop analyzes how Canada — and Quebec, a major player in AI and innovation — connects technological development, national security, and international commitments.

Can participation in technological and intelligence alliances such as the Five Eyes be reconciled with genuine digital sovereignty? How can vulnerabilities stemming from outsourced services, dependence on foreign supply chains, and Canada’s status as a “rule-taker” be reduced?

The role of Canadian and Quebec companies, innovation ecosystems (notably Montreal’s AI hub), and regulatory tensions between federal and provincial jurisdictions will be central to the discussion. How can an industrial and diplomatic strategy be structured to secure critical technologies while remaining open to strategic partnerships?

Presentations may also examine Canada’s and Quebec’s positioning in international forums on AI, data, and cybersecurity, and assess the tools required to project credible technological autonomy in a highly competitive geopolitical environment.

In a context marked by the weakening of the WTO, a resurgence of protectionism, and widespread “de‑risking” strategies, global trade has become a battleground for geoeconomic rivalries. Canada must rethink its trade policy as a central instrument of its foreign policy. Quebec — highly integrated into North American value chains and equipped with an active economic diplomacy — is directly affected by this shifting landscape.

This workshop examines the capacity of Canada and Quebec to reconcile economic resilience, supply chain security, industrial competitiveness and environmental commitments within a multipolar economy shaped by digital, green and security‑driven transitions.

How should they respond to the stagnation of the WTO, and how can they contribute to its eventual renewal? Can bilateral, regional or plurilateral agreements — or even “mini‑deals” — compensate for the erosion of multilateralism? And can we truly speak of strategic autonomy without fully removing the interprovincial barriers that constrain internal trade?

The discussions will explore the roles of provinces, Indigenous Peoples, and Canadian and Quebec companies in post‑pandemic value chains, as well as the impact of U.S.-China tensions on Canada’s trade posture.

Canada’s natural resources, particularly energy, critical minerals, forests, water, agriculture, steel, and aluminum, form the material foundation of its economic and climate diplomacy. In a context marked by the energy transition, the reconfiguration of supply chains, and intensifying geo‑economic rivalries, their strategic mobilization has become central. Quebec, with its hydroelectric power, critical minerals, and industrial expertise, occupies a key position in this dynamic, as do agricultural and manufacturing sectors that are deeply integrated at the North American level.

This workshop examines the ability of Canada and Quebec to move from a predominantly extractive model toward a value‑added strategy that combines industrial development, supply‑chain resilience, economic sovereignty, and ecological transition. How can a coherent, inclusive transition diplomacy be built, one that is less vulnerable to U.S. pressures? How can investment attractiveness be reconciled with adaptation to economic and regulatory shocks, environmental justice, and respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples?

The role of provincial governments, as managers of natural resources, and of Canadian and Quebec firms is decisive in structuring value chains, securing supplies, and responding to disruptions. Drawing on examples from the agricultural and automotive sectors, contributions may also analyze industrial responses to crises, regulatory changes, and labor conflicts. They may address issues related to critical minerals, export‑oriented agriculture (including supply management), energy corridors, transportation policies, or international partnerships in strategic sectors.

Canadian foreign policy is evolving in a context of a fragmenting international economic order and intensifying geoeconomic rivalries. While trade diversification has been invoked for decades, its implementation remains uneven — often focused on Europe — and insufficiently structured toward other strategic regions.

This workshop examines the reorientation of Canada’s economic relations with Latin America (Mexico, Mercosur), the Indo‑Pacific (notably ASEAN), and Africa, with a view to strengthening resilience, credibility and strategic autonomy. It questions Canada’s — and Quebec’s, as an active economic and diplomatic player — ability to move beyond a fragmented, normative approach and instead build durable, pragmatic partnerships.

How can value‑based diplomacy be reconciled with geoeconomic imperatives? How can a middle power act effectively when multilateralism is eroding? Which commercial, legal and institutional instruments can meaningfully enhance Canada’s influence?

At the core of the discussions: the coherence of the Indo‑Pacific Strategy, the revival of a structured engagement in the Americas and in Africa, and Quebec’s specific contribution to this strategic redefinition.

These three sectors form the core of the economy’s intangible infrastructures, encompassing financing, intermediation, digital technologies, organizational innovation, and data governance.

This roundtable explores the evolving role of finance, services, and digital technologies in economic competitiveness. It examines financialization, technological innovation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and the growing importance of data in transforming business models and contemporary value chains.

These sectors are grounded in the sustainable management of biological and territorial resources, addressing food security, ecological transition, and the development of new bio-based value chains.

This roundtable examines agricultural and forestry dynamics in the context of the ecological transition. It addresses food security, sustainable management of biological resources, climate adaptation, the circular bioeconomy, and the innovations transforming rural and territorial production systems.

These are foundational sectors of the industrial base, essential to infrastructure, the energy transition, and manufacturing competitiveness.

This roundtable examines the aluminium, steel, and critical minerals sectors. It discusses their role in the energy transition, industrial decarbonization, critical supply chains, and the geoeconomic challenges that are reshaping the competitiveness of basic industries.