ALL FOR ONE, NONE FOR ALL?

This article deals with the growing number of Canadian provincial trade offices in the overseas market and its implications for Canadian trade. In May 2010, a new trade and investment office was opened by the premiers of British Columbia and Alberta in Shanghai, China. It questions whether the provincial missions improve Canadian trade relations with other countries or balkanize them. It cites the key criticism of Alberta's international office network. A study by John Ries and Keith Head found that these missions did not produced an increase in trade.