Michael Hart

Michael Hart is the Simon Reisman Professor of Trade Policy in the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, and Distinguished Research Fellow of the Centre for Trade Policy and Law (CTPL). He teaches courses on the laws and institutions of international trade, as well as advanced seminars on emerging trade issues and the historical development of Canadian trade policy. At the Centre for Trade Policy and Law, he provides strategic analysis and advice to governments, international organizations, and businesses on emerging trade policy issues, and leads training missions to enhance the skill levels of officials in developing and transitional economies. He is also responsible for the Certificate in Trade Policy and Commercial Diplomacy for trade officials that is offered by CTPL.

He has led missions to Asia, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, and has provided advice to governments in those regions. He is a former official in Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, where he specialized in trade policy and trade negotiations. He provided strategic advice in the Canada-US Free Trade Negotiations, the North American Free Trade Negotiations, and various GATT, textile, commodity, and air transport negotiations. He was founding director of the Centre for Trade Policy and Law and stepped down in September 1996 after a second term as director. He holds an MA and ABD from the University of Toronto and is the author, editor, or co-editor of more than a dozen books and numerous articles and chapters in books on international trade issues. He is currently at work on various trade policy issues including regional trade agreements, the implications of deeper integration, and standards, among others.