York experts available to speak on tariffs and trade

Insights into the impact on labour and supply chains, corporate governance, and more

York University experts on tariffs and free trade are available to speak on all aspects of the trade war, including the history of trade negotiations, the evolution of global supply chains, the threat of recession, the effects of tariffs on consumer behaviour and more.

Canada-U.S. free trade negotiations

Fred Lazar, associate professor of economics, was indirectly involved in the original Canada-U.S. free trade negotiations. An expert on international trade agreements, Lazar wrote a book on the Tokyo Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (the GATT), The New Protectionism: Non-Tariff Barriers and Their Effects on Canada, in the early 1980s.

Lazar can provide historical context for why Canada originally pursued a free trade deal with the U.S., the negotiation strategies involved in brokering it, as well as the U.S. Constitution, which makes domestic legislation supreme to any international agreements where there might be a conflict, as is the case today. He is available to speak on tariffs, the economic impact the trade war could have on Canada’s economy, and the threat of recession.

Corporate governance, ethics and government aid packages

Richard Leblanc, professor in the School of Administrative Studies, is an expert in corporate governance and ethics. An award-winning educator, lawyer, consultant and author, he has guided leaders of organizations through his teaching, writing and direct consultation. Leblanc’s commentary is grounded in his extensive research and work with boards of directors and the training and development of leaders and managers.

Leblanc is available to comment on:

• Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s toolbox of potential targeted reciprocal tariffs against U.S. industries and businesses
• the possibility of aid packages by the Government of Ontario to businesses and workers, and conditions those packages should contain
• certainty of planning by Ontario businesses
• considerations for boards of directors of Ontario-based companies when responding to imposed U.S. tariffs

History of Canada-U.S. trade relations

Marcel Martel is the Avie Bennett Historica Chair in Canadian History and a member of the history department at York University. He is a specialist in Canadian political history (20th to 21st centuries). He has published numerous articles and book chapters on public policy, moral and social regulation, the wine industry in Ontario and language rights.

Martel is available to speak on tariffs and free trade, including their history, the 1879 National Policy and Canada-U.S. relations.

International business, supply chains and the auto industry

Bernard M. Wolf is a professor emeritus of economics and international business at the Schulich School of Business. He is engaged in research dealing with the rapid changes in manufacturing, especially in the motor vehicle industry. His areas of expertise include globalization, international business, and strategic alliances.

Wolf is available to speak on:

• trade agreements and tariffs
• international investment and business
• economic and financial crises
• evolution of global supply chains
• U.S. President Donald Trump’s reversal of Biden’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate
• Transport Canada pausing the federal EV incentive program

Consumer behaviour and marketing

Markus Giesler, professor of marketing at Schulich, researches how markets dynamically shape human behaviour, often in the context of new technologies. He is the area editor of the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, member of the editorial review boards for Consumption, Markets and Culture; Journal of Consumer Psychology; and Marketing Letters. Previously, he was editor of the Journal of Consumer Research, and an associate editor for the Journal of Marketing.

Giesler is available to comment on what consumers can do in light of the new tariffs, the buy Canadian movements, efforts to support local and domestic businesses, and why it is not equally possible for all consumers.

Impact on workers and union response

Steven Tufts, associate professor of geography, is an expert in the geography of work, workers, workplaces and organized labour. His current research studies the use of strategic research as part of labour union renewal, the role of unions in urban economic development,  labour market adjustment in tourism related sectors in response to crises and climate change, and the impact of growing populism on organized labour. His research aims to better understand how workers through collective action can shape economic landscapes in ways that are more socially just and environmentally sustainable.

Tufts can comment on: 

• the impact of tariffs on work and workers
• responses by unions to the tariffs

Globalization and the effects of populism

Daniel Drache, professor emeritus and senior scholar in the department of politics at York and research fellow at the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, focuses on understanding the changing character of the globalization narrative in its economic, social and cultural dimensions. His areas of research include North American integration and the evolving role of borders as policy levers post-NAFTA, tariffs, the WTO and more. He wrote the book Has Populism Won? The Assault on Liberal Democracy, explaining how and why global populism has taken root, along with co-author Mar Froese. They’ve also written numerous pieces in The Conversation, mapping and tracking populism in different contexts and national settings.

Drache is available to speak on:

• the international political economy and its institutions, including the WTO
• global inequality and development
• counter-publics
• NAFTA, free trade and tariffs
• economic integration and social movements

The role of the European Union

Burkard Eberlein, professor of public policy and sustainability at Schulich and director of the BBA/iBBA programs, is an expert on public policy, business-government relations, and corporate social responsibility. His research examines how transnational governance arrangements address cross-border policy challenges, particularly the setting of social and environmental standards for production in global value chains. He’s investigated how national governments and businesses in Argentina, Brazil and Canada engaged with global voluntary sustainability standards in the soybean and mining sectors. His interest lies in whether novel types of transnational governance involving cross-sector collaboration can improve business conduct and how comparative public policy seeks to explain why jurisdictions differ in their policy responses when faced with similar problems or crises. His work primarily addresses the energy and environment sectors with a focus on Canada and the European Union.

Eberlein is available to comment on the role of the EU in the trade war, Canada’s potential for diversification into Europe and forging a stronger alliance with Europe in general.