Canada has spent the past decade learning a lesson the hard way.

Once unthinkable tariffs on exports like steel and aluminum. Global supply chains disrupted and broken under pressure. And diplomatic tensions that put major markets on pause. Each time, the lesson has been the same: relying heavily on a narrow set of trading partners makes us vulnerable. When shocks hit, Canada can’t maneuver.

Canada’s universities represent one of the country’s largest knowledge-based economic sectors. They support hundreds of thousands of jobs, generate tens of billions of dollars in economic activity, and anchor innovation ecosystems across the country. They are also already doing the market-building work that trade resilience requires, building trusted international relationships well ahead of policy timelines.

The urgency of expanding and diversifying Canada’s trade relationships was underscored in Davos, where Prime Minister Carney spoke about the rupture now reshaping the global economy. Trade is being weaponized. For middle powers like Canada, where trade accounts for two-thirds of our GDP, diversification is now the foundation of sovereignty and an urgent national priority.

But it is also a long game. Markets cannot be replaced on command and trust cannot be established........

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