Broadbent Research Fellow Brendan Haley was interviewed on CBC Radio’s Cost of Living with Paul Haavardsrud to warn against the ‘Staple Trap’: Canada’s continued and deepening economic reliance on extractive commodities.
Canada is leaning into the resource economy, spending billions on megaprojects. But could we be falling into the ‘staple trap?’ Again? Cost of Living looks at what it costs all of us.
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Read more from Brendan Haley on The Staple Trap and Canada’s Industrial Policy.
Why Does Canada Develop Megaprojects Instead of Innovation Systems?
Canada’s political economy is characterized by the “staple trap” — a longstanding struggle to develop systems of complementary technology and industries against the pull of resource extraction lock-in.
Will the Response to the US Inflation Reduction Act Reveal Canada’s Lack of Green Industrial Policy?
Industrial policy should be designed to achieve Canada’s societally relevant goals—not as a defensive response to American events.