One of their first priorities as directors of the newly minted EDGE Network of Centres of Excellence is to convince more companies that global trade is no longer an option, but a question of survival.

"This board gets it and they recognize there is a real urgency here," says Prof. Debra Steger of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law and Director of The Edge Network. "The private sector in Canada, even some of the major companies, are still too caught up in looking to the U.S. as their market. But the world is changing rapidly, and we need to understand and be ready for these changes."

Launched in April 2006 as one of five "New Initiatives" funded under the Networks of Centres of Excellence program, EDGE is building a Canadian-based international network of leading thinkers in economics, business, law, political science and public policy, working together with governments and the private sector to inform public policy, improve business strategies and facilitate knowledge-sharing.

It could well be the first time that a country has mobilized its research, commercial and public policy capacity to create a virtual network focused on emerging economies, says Yuen Pau Woo, Co-CEO and President of the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada, a founding partner of the Edge Network.

The first step to creating such a network, he explains, is to create an inventory of who is doing what in this field. "Once we've done that, we can look at exchanging best practices in research on priority emerging markets. Thirdly, we need to identify cross-cutting research themes, where research in one emerging market can inform and educate research in another emerging market."

Listening to the private sector
The private sector is a major player in the EDGE Network. The Network's first priorities have been to assemble a blue ribbon board with hands-on experience in global trade and public policy, and to work with industry to determine what priorities Canada's research community should address.

This year, it will invite senior executives and middle managers from different sectors to a series of workshops dealing with "Trade and Investment" and "Canadian Competitiveness". Issues can range from supply chain management, language barriers, regulatory requirements, financial systems and business practices to the protection of human rights and the environment.

Yuen Pau Woo

One area requiring more study is global governance. Mr. Woo says India, China and Brazil are already talking to one another about the rules of global governance, even though they may have diametrically opposite views on how it should be structured.

"These countries have different histories, political structures and cultures, but what they do have in common is the fact that they're growing very quickly and are achieving a critical mass where these economies not only follow in the path of developed countries, but are changing the landscape and charting new paths," he says.

However, as Scotiabank's Executive VP of International Banking cautions, these are complex issues with no silver bullet solutions – just a lot of hard work and extensive networking.

"We need to mobilize a lot of people to become more involved in trying to push Canada down that international road. Part of it is having the right overarching policy framework for the country, but mostly it's about engaging people to act. By getting more people to do business with these countries, we will get better at it. Ultimately, it's all about the ability to network effectively, and where the EDGE Network can help," says EDGE board member Robert Pitfield, who has been at the forefront of Scotiabank's global strategy, including its recent forays into China.

For the more than 800 members of the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters (I.E. Canada), many of the challenges they face are practical day-to-day issues. Mary Anderson, I.E. Canada's President and EDGE board member, says the import process is growing in complexity as Canadian companies import more of their components from less developed countries and emerging economies.

"An increasing number of our SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) are no longer going through a importer company," she explains. "They're doing it directly themselves so there's a real need for knowledge and expertise about how the process works. Some of these things are fairly straight forward, but if you haven't done it before, you can become overwhelmed by red tape."

Ms. Anderson is also President of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Council for the Americas, which will help the EDGE Network identify opportunities to develop more bilateral trade and investment between Canada and Brazil.

Board bridges link between business and government
Several EDGE board members have extensive experience in both industry and public policy. Wendy Dobson at the Rotman School of Management was previously Associate Deputy Minister of Finance in Ottawa. Lawson Hunter, an Executive VP at BCE Inc., has served as Assistant Deputy Minister of industry and was instrumental in writing Canada's Competition Act. Huguette Labelle held senior positions in several government departments, include Secretary of State before becoming Chancellor at the University of Ottawa.

The EDGE Network's chair, Donald Campbell, served as Deputy Foreign Minister, Deputy Minister for international Trade and as the Prime Minister's Personal Representative for the G-8 Summits, in addition to supervising the negotiation of the North America Free Trade Agreement. He is now the Executive VP for Montreal-based CAE, a world leader in simulation and modeling technologies for the civil aviation and defence sectors. CAE does over 90 per cent of its business outside of Canada.

"From my experience in trade policy, I knew there was a great deal of policy research and information gathering being done in Canada and elsewhere. But it wasn't always centralized or easily accessible," says Mr. Campbell. "EDGE creates an opportunity to share this information, and to act as a catalyst for making people aware of what others are doing and how they can build on that."