by CanadianSailings | Mar 26, 2019 | Business and Economy, Ocean Carriers, Other, Supply Chain and Logistics
By Alexander Whiteman
Panic is setting in among UK logistics operators as the country approaches its departure from the European Union. With just 17 working days between now and the scheduled 29 March withdrawal, industry associations are expressing “deep concern” at the lack of preparedness. The British International Freight Association (BIFA) has warned that logistics operators may find themselves liable for difficulties arising from a no-deal withdrawal. It said: “Given the likelihood of customs clearance delays following a hard Brexit, it could be argued that such delays are both expected and thus could be avoided.” (more…)
by CanadianSailings | Mar 26, 2019 | Business and Economy, Corporate events & profiles, Gateways and Corridors, Keith Norbury, Other
By Keith Norbury
Most of the goods traded between Canada and the U.S., still one of the world’s leading trading partnerships, crosses the border in trucks. And most of those trucks pass over three bridges straddling two rivers connecting the Great Lakes of Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Until recently, however, little was known about long it takes trucks to cross the border. That all changed recently when researchers at the University of Windsor’s Traffic Lab obtained GPS data from nearly 400,000 border crossings by about 60,000 trucks owned by 750 companies. The researchers crunched the data, millions of GPS “pings” in total, to reveal details about how long they waited at the border at different times of the day and year as well as their directions of travel. (more…)
by CanadianSailings | Mar 26, 2019 | Business and Economy, Gateways and Corridors, Government and Regulation, Keith Norbury, Other
By Keith Norbury
When two elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers. Jia Wang, Deputy Director of the China Institute at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, invokes that African proverb to describes Canada’s position in a tariff turf war between the world’s economic elephants — China and the U.S. “In a way, Canada is like that grass,” said Ms. Wang, who was born and raised in China but has been a Canadian resident for 16 years. “It’s caught in between these big global economic superpowers and if for some reason the trade situation worsens, I think on balance it’s not going to be good for Canada.” (more…)
by CanadianSailings | Mar 26, 2019 | Business and Economy, Government and Regulation, Keith Norbury, Other
By Keith Norbury
The trade relationship between Canada and China is the worst it’s been in decades, according to experts who have studied the machinations of trade between the two nations. “No doubt, Canada-China relations are at a very low point,” said Jia Wang, Deputy Director of the China Institute at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. “Probably one of the lowest points since the Tiananmen incident in 1989.”
The impetus for the deteriorating relationship was the arrest in Vancouver of a senior executive with state-owned Chinese electronics giant Huawei. Meng Wanzhou, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, has been in custody since her arrest on December 1 at the behest of the United States Department of Justice. The U.S. is seeking to extradite her on charges that a Huawei subsidiary allegedly committed bank and wire fraud charges that violated sanctions against Iran. On March 1, the Canadian government announced it would hold an extradition hearing. (more…)
by CanadianSailings | Mar 26, 2019 | Business and Economy, Government and Regulation, Other, Safety and Security, Theo van de Kletersteeg
Theo van de Kletersteeg
Prime Minister Trudeau is trying to pull Canada out of a multi-billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia, he said on several occasions near the end of 2018, following allegations that suggest Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince was implicated in the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi. “We are engaged with the export permits to try and see if there is a way of no longer exporting these vehicles to Saudi Arabia,” he told CTV, without elaborating. The deal, worth US$14 billion over 14 years, if all options are exercised, and including spare parts, support and training, would supply the Saudi military with light armoured vehicles (LAVs) manufactured by General Dynamics Canada Land Systems Canada, a subsidiary of U.S. General Dynamics Corporation. The contract is the largest Defence export contract Canada has ever entered into. The PM’s comments represent an evolution in Ottawa’s stance toward Saudi Arabia. In March of 2018, he defended the deal for the armoured vehicles, saying that honouring the contract, which was made under a previous government, “fully meets our national obligations and Canadian laws.” Canada’s arms export laws prevent the sale of weapons to countries that “pose a threat to Canada and its allies, that are involved in or under imminent threat of hostilities, that are under United Nations Security Council sanctions; or whose governments have a persistent record of serious violations of the human rights of their citizens.” The last provision includes an exemption for countries where “it can be demonstrated that there is no reasonable risk that the goods might be used against the civilian population.” (more…)
by CanadianSailings | Mar 26, 2019 | Business and Economy, Education, Ocean, Other
Jim Hanlon, CEO of The Centre for Ocean Ventures and Entrepreneurship (COVE) announced that RBR, Precise Design and Nova Scotia Boatbuilders Association (NSBA) have moved into COVE. “RBR is one of Canada’s well-established ocean instrumentation companies headquartered in Ottawa. Precise Design has been a key partner for us as we build COVE, and they are an important part of the existing supply chain for ocean tech companies in the region. NSBA provides a key linkage between the vibrant Nova Scotia boat building industry and the technology capabilities of many of the other COVE tenants.” (more…)
