Background

Prior to joining CIGI as a Distinguished Fellow in September 2006, Dr. Curtis was the first chief economist at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He was also senior policy advisor and coordinator, trade and economic policy, and director of trade and economic analysis, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. Earlier, he participated in the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Negotiations and the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations. Dr. Curtis’s research interests involve all aspects of international trade, including the relationship of multilateral trade arrangements such as the GATT and WTO to existing and emerging regional trading arrangements in Asia, Europe and Latin America. He played a major role in the development of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, serving as the founding Chair of the Economic Committee for its first four years (1994-1998). At the same time, he was involved in the work of the OECD Trade Committee and in the Government of Canada’s private sector consultative process on trade policy. He was the federal government's first coordinator of regulatory reform at the Treasury Board, held various policy advisory and management positions in the Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, and served in the economic policy secretariat of the Privy Council Office and with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) in Washington, D.C.