Ports, Politics and the Pacific Gateway: Consequences for Regional Development in Western Canada

Abstract

Much has been said in recent years about the need to wean Canada off its economic dependency on the United States. The rapprochement of the North American economies after the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 1989 and the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994 has been followed by moments of introspection and concern about just how much our economy is tied to our neighbour to the south. The Pacific Gateway Strategy (PGS) is one potential answer to this dilemma. The purpose of the symposium is to bring together practitioners and scholars to discuss issues that pertain to the impact of the PGS on northern communities, particularly those in the provincial north.