About the lecture:

In recent years, the Canadian government has affirmed its desire to strengthen its engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean, but has not provided many details on the specific strategies to do so. A stable, safe, democratic and prosperous hemispheric neighborhood in is Canada’s own interests; it provides, among other things, a positive business environment for Canadian firms and investors engaged in the region. However, given the modesty of the Canadian economic footprint in Latin America and the Caribbean overall, one can wonder what contributions Canadian economic foreign policy can make to achieve this goal.

In this lecture, Chantal Blouin argues that we should build on Canada’s existing strengths in terms of economic engagement in the region and that the mining sector is one of this key area of strengths, where Canada matters to the region and the region matters to Canada. Blouin recommends positioning Canada as a leader in building capacity for better regulation and governance of the mining sector and on corporate social responsibility in LAC. Secondly, she recommends that Canada champions the establishment of a Hemispheric policy forum, a new space for economic policy sharing and learning on issue related to the extractive industries.

About the speaker:

Chantal Blouin is Senior Associate at the Centre for Trade Policy and Law, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University and Senior Fellow at the Canadian International Council. Her recent publications include International Trade in Health Services and the GATS (World Bank, 2006), and Trade and Health: Seeking Common Ground (McGill/Queens University Press, 2008). Dr. Blouin is a member of the WHO Scientific Resource Group on Globalization, Trade and Health as well as a board member of Equiterre.

Before joining CTPL in 2007, Chantal was Senior Researcher, Trade and Development at The North-South Institute in Ottawa. She has also held a Congressional fellowship from the American Political Science Association (APSA) and the Norman Robertson Research Fellowship at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) in 1998-1999. She completed her Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Toronto and holds a M.A. and B.A. in Political Science from Université Laval.

This lecture is presented by CIGI and the Canadian International Council (CIC).