Donald Trump’s Trade War:
What Will it Mean for Canada’s Economy? And Canadian Society?
Speaker: Jim Stanford, Economist and Director, Centre for Future Work
Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025
Time: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm (*refreshments available)
Delivery: Hybrid (in-person and zoom)
In-person Location: Henry Angus Building, UBC, Room 334
RSVP link: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eRsGgg9LS20EvPw
The Splane Lecture on Social Policy is a joint project between the UBC School of Social Work and the United Nations Association in Canada, Vancouver branch.
Abstract:
The erratic and aggressive trade actions of U.S. President Donald Trump pose an existential threat to U.S. trading partners. None are more vulnerable than Canada, given our deep integration (after 35 years of free trade) and reliance on exports to the U.S. market. In this presentation, Economist Jim Stanford (Director of the Centre for Future Work) will explain what Trump is proposing, why his complaints about the Canada-U.S. relationship are unjustified, how his tariffs would impact Canadian economic and social policy, and how Canada must respond.
Speaker Bio:
Jim Stanford is Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work, a labour economics think tank based in Vancouver, B.C..
Jim is one of Canada’s best-known economists. He served for over 20 years as Economist and Director of Policy with Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector trade union (formerly the Canadian Auto Workers). He is quoted frequently in the print and broadcast media, and contributes regular commentaries to the Toronto Star, CTV News Channel, and Corus Radio. He is also the Harold Innis Industry Professor in Economics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, and an Honorary Professor in the Department of Political Economy at the University of Sydney.
Jim received his Ph.D. in Economics from the New School for Social Research in New York. He also holds an M.Phil. in Economics from Cambridge University, and a B.A. (Hons.) in Economics from the University of Calgary.
Jim is the author of Economics for Everyone: A Short Guide to the Economics of Capitalism (second edition published by Pluto Books in 2015), which has been published in six languages. Stanford has written, edited or co-edited six other books, and dozens of articles and reports in both peer-reviewed and popular outlets.
He has provided research and advice through numerous federal and provincial government panels and inquiries on economic policy, innovation, jobs, and social policy. Jim is recognized for his ability to communicate economic concepts in an accessible and humorous manner.
About the Splane Lecture:
Richard Splane, Professor Emeritus of the University of British Columbia, began his academic career at McMaster University, pursuing studies in economics, history and social work at the University of Toronto and social administration at the London School of Economics.
In the Second World War, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a pilot in the Bomber Command. After the war, he joined the Department of National Health and Welfare as an Economist and became Executive Assistant to the Deputy Minister. He was in‐turn Director‐General of Welfare Assistance and Services; Director of Unemployment Assistance; and, Assistant Deputy Minister of Social Allowances and Services. He is regarded as the “principal architect” of the Canada Assistance Plan.
Dr. Splane’s special interest was international welfare. He served as Canada’s representative on the UNICEF Board and was a member of the United Nations’ Expert Group on Social Welfare Policy and Planning. In 1973, he was recruited by the University of British Columbia, as a Professor in the School of Social Work, where he served until his retirement in 1982.
He is author of three books, Social welfare in Ontario, 1791‐1893; a study of public welfare administration (1965), 75 years of community service to Canada: Canadian Council on Social Development, 1920‐1995 (1996), and George Davidson: social policy and public policy exemplar (2003), and contributed numerous chapters and articles to professional journals and the press. He also collaborated with his wife, Dr. Verna Huffman Splane on a nursing research project in 55 countries.
In his community, he served with the University of British Columbia, the University Hill United Church and the United Way of Vancouver, Friends of SOS Children’s Villages, as well as the Vancouver chapters of both the World Federalists and the United Nations Association.
Throughout his career, Dr. Splane has served in senior roles in his own professional organization and many others in civil society. His work in social policy has been recognized both nationally and internationally with honours from his profession, government and universities. He was granted an Honorary Degree LL.D. by Wilfred Laurier University (1988), McMaster University (1990), the University of Toronto (2005) and, with his wife Verna, the University of British Columbia’s first‐ever joint honorary degree (1996).
School of Social Work, University of British Columbia
We are the third oldest School of Social Work in Canada, dating back to the late 1920s, when instruction in social work at the University of British Columbia consisted of a two-year diploma course within the Dept. of Economics, Sociology and Political Science. Today our nationally accredited programmes continue to educate and train social workers for the future and to develop high educational standards in all branches of social work. Our School is richly endowed with strength and excellence in teaching, research, community service and international development informed by an ethic of care and commitment to social justice. We continue to provide leadership in social work education within BC, across Canada and internationally.
The School places a high value on curiosity and applied research, community scholarship and service. It recognizes the integrity and distinctive value of its academic and professional degree programmes, values multidisciplinarity from its base within the Faculty of Arts.
The School is committed through its teaching, research and community service to excellence in the development, dissemination and application of knowledge, values and skills relevant to social work. Faculty, staff and students are committed to principles of social and economic justice, equity and respect for the realities of diverse cultures and the strengths of civil society.
For more information, please visit: https://socialwork.ubc.ca/
United Nations Association in Canada, Vancouver Branch
The United Nations Association in Canada works to engage the Canadian public in the work of the United Nations and its agencies. We work closely with the educational communities in every province and territory to build their capacity to educate young people from a global perspective. We also work directly with youth, challenging them to develop the tools and skills necessary to confront some of the world’s most complex problems.
Our projects also aim to define foreign policy priorities for our government. We host seminars and conferences with a variety of stakeholders and produce informative publications on topics such as peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. Each year the Association awards the Pearson Peace Medal to a Canadian who has made an outstanding contribution in the field of international service and understanding. For more information, please visit: https://unacvancouver.org/
