Gateways to Trade

Explores Canada’s gateway cities and their role in global trade and governance, revealing the connections between transportation, policy, and citizen participation. Gateways to Trade examines how Canada’s major gateway city-regions—Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax—position themselves within global value chains and leverage transportation infrastructure to facilitate international trade. Comparing these four urban centers, the authors provide a clear-eyed perspective on trade policy and the local governance dynamics that shape it. The book explores how urban governments engage with global production networks and value chains, showing that in planning transportation infrastructure for trade, city regimes often function as executive democracies—consulting private actors and senior levels of government while bypassing citizen organizations. Highlighting the critical role of local governments, often overlooked in debates on trade, the book offers key insights into Canadian trade and infrastructure policies. Its findings are especially relevant in today’s rapidly changing global economic environment.