Adam Chapnick, PhD
Adam Chapnick is a professor of defence studies at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC). He is based in Toronto, where he teaches courses in Canadian foreign policy and strategic decision-making at the Canadian Forces College. He holds a BA (Honours) from Trent University, an MA in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, and a PhD in History from the University of Toronto. He is the award-winning author or editor of ten books and over 50 academic essays and book chapters on historical and contemporary issues in Canadian foreign relations, Canadian-American relations, and teaching and learning. He is also a regular commentator in the public realm. In 2013, he wrote a weekly on-line column on national politics for the Toronto Star. His commentaries have also been published in The Globe and Mail, The National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, The Calgary Herald, The Conversation Canada, and The Hill Times. He has appeared as a foreign policy expert on Global News, CTV News, CBC News, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, the Rundown, and CBC radio, and has testified as an expert witness before The Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the House of Commons' Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, and the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. Canadian Trade Policy in an Age of Chaos Canada has long been known as a trading nation. With ample natural resources and not enough people to consume everything that we produce, we rely on external markets to drive our economy. For much of our recent history, free trade with our closest partner, the United States, has been critical to our national prosperity. In 2017, Donald Trump's Republican administration nearly ended the North American Free Trade Agreement, one of the most successful agreements in either country's history. The second Trump administration has been even more aggressive in rejecting free trade and has made a point of singling out Canada for criticism. This lecture will help you understand how trade policy works (and doesn’t work), and why it plays such a significant role in the Canadian economy and, by extension, in all of our lives.
Adam Chapnick is a professor of defence studies at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC). He is based in Toronto, where he teaches courses in Canadian foreign policy and strategic decision-making at the Canadian Forces College. He holds a BA (Honours) from Trent University, an MA in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, and a PhD in History from the University of Toronto. He is the award-winning author or editor of ten books and over 50 academic essays and book chapters on historical and contemporary issues in Canadian foreign relations, Canadian-American relations, and teaching and learning.
He is also a regular commentator in the public realm. In 2013, he wrote a weekly on-line column on national politics for the Toronto Star. His commentaries have also been published in The Globe and Mail, The National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, The Calgary Herald, The Conversation Canada, and The Hill Times. He has appeared as a foreign policy expert on Global News, CTV News, CBC News, The Agenda with Steve Paikin, the Rundown, and CBC radio, and has testified as an expert witness before The Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence, the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the House of Commons' Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, and the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.
Canadian Trade Policy in an Age of Chaos
Canada has long been known as a trading nation. With ample natural resources and not enough people to consume everything that we produce, we rely on external markets to drive our economy. For much of our recent history, free trade with our closest partner, the United States, has been critical to our national prosperity. In 2017, Donald Trump's Republican administration nearly ended the North American Free Trade Agreement, one of the most successful agreements in either country's history. The second Trump administration has been even more aggressive in rejecting free trade and has made a point of singling out Canada for criticism. This lecture will help you understand how trade policy works (and doesn’t work), and why it plays such a significant role in the Canadian economy and, by extension, in all of our lives.
This event is part of the Fall 2026 Speaker series.
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