Course Description

 This is a skills development-focused course on how to design and negotiate a forward-looking bilateral preferential trade agreement between Canada and a major trading partner. The course is highly-interactive using a simulation of a hypothetical Canada-China Free Trade Agreement to provide hands-on experience in how to prepare, conduct and finalize a trade agreement to advance Canada’s commercial interests in the world. The course is designed and delivered by former senior Canadian trade negotiators and diplomats to make the course as practical and “real world” as possible.

Course instructors:

Phil Rourke, Executive Director, CTPL; Lecturer at Carleton University (NPSIA), University of Ottawa (Faculty of Law)

Rosemina Nathoo, Director, UK Programs and International Legal Counsel at CTPL

For the course outline, please click here.

Learning objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • design an effective trade negotiation strategy to advance Canada’s commercial interests;
  • develop negotiating positions, participate in trade negotiation delegations, and know how to achieve a successful negotiating outcome;
  • use different strategies and tactics to effectively manage each stage of the trade negotiation process;
  • draft and negotiate the legal text for an international trade agreement to which Canada could be a signatory;
  • develop further practical skills in advocacy, problem solving, legal research and analysis, and oral and written communication.

Target audience

The course has been designed for junior and mid-level officials from trade and trade-related ministries of Canadian federal and provincial governments. The course would also benefit international trade consultants and representatives of business associations, private firms and non-governmental institutions that have an interest in understanding how and why trade agreements are negotiated and the opportunities and challenges they pose when they are implemented.

Learning Approach

Under the supervision of coaches, participants will plan negotiating mandates and strategies. They will draft negotiating statements and texts to presented during the negotiation. The outcome of the simulation is a text reflecting the level of agreement reached between the negotiating parties.

The course does not require detailed prior knowledge of international trade policy. Participants will have access to an online course component that provides the necessary background for full participation on the simulation.

The course instructors will provide practical instruction on negotiating strategies and techniques, and direction on how to formulate and execute strategies to achieve negotiating objectives. These overviews will be followed by presentations by subject matter experts on the negotiating issues to be addressed in the simulation.

Dates: June 12-14, 2019

Cost:

Location:   Carleton University, Ottawa

To register, click here

For more information about the course, please contact Lisa Scheltema at 613-520-2600, extension 6523, or by email at lisa.scheltema@carleton.ca