Corridor Intelligence

Joseph Soares
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Corridor Intelligence is Joseph Soares' strategic analysis show: geopolitics, capital, resources, and the decisions that move them. Each episode explains how power, institutions and money actually move, with every figure carrying its source. Joseph Soares served in the Prime Minister's Office of Canada through the 2008 financial crisis and was Chief of Staff in the Senate of Canada through the pandemic. The written analysis and the free daily Corridor Brief are available at josephsoares.com.

  1. 1 day ago

    The Hidden Reality of Canada-U.S. Trade: Why Tariffs Don't Work

    Send us Fan Mail Canada sells roughly $400 billion to the United States every year. It sounds enormous. In fact, it is only about 1.5% of the American economy. Professor Ian Lee of Carleton University's Sprott School of Business explains why that number shows our counter-tariffs aren't working, and what Canada should do instead. Ian Lee has testified before parliamentary committees more than fifty times and is the co-author, with Larry O'Brien, of "Trapped: In the Shadow of Trump's America. And How We Escape." Buy “Trapped: In the Shadow of Trump’s America” by Ian Lee and Larry O’Brien: https://amzn.to/4AsCosH Disclaimer: All commissions we earn from purchases through this link will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. CHAPTERS 0:00 Why 1.5% changes the tariff debate 1:34 The number: Canada's share of the US economy 2:39 What the US trade data really shows 5:19 How Americans see Canada 7:59 How tariffs reach Canadian supply chains 10:34 National interest, and where interests overlap 13:16 The hidden cost of Canada's internal trade barriers 15:54 Integrate with the US and diversify at the same time 18:31 Where Canada can diversify 24:03 The economics of logistics 26:42 Who really benefits from energy exports 27:46 The American perspective 32:26 Can a centralized state become a superpower? 35:11 Taiwan and China 37:41 Lessons from Vietnam 40:20 Life across the border 43:07 After Trump: what comes next 45:47 The record of US leadership Joseph Soares built his early career in international business, developing trade and accounts globally, before serving in the Prime Minister's Office of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis and as Chief of Staff in the Senate of Canada during the pandemic. He runs a management advisory firm that helps businesses and governments work through high-stakes challenges. Corridor Intelligence is his analysis programme on power, institutions and decision-making. More analysis: https://josephsoares.com?ref=podcast #Canada #Tariffs #CanadaUS #IanLee #CorridorIntelligence Watch the video: https://youtu.be/4BBDB1K4BYwSupport the show Thank you for listening to Corridor Intelligence. Website: josephsoares.com  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@corridorintelligence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soaresjoseph/ X: https://x.com/JosephSoares Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephsoaresonline/ Telegram: https://t.me/corridorintelligence

  2. 2 days ago

    Canada's Paragraph, Iran's Fate | Spotlight

    Send us Fan Mail Canada just took sides in a 55-year-old territorial dispute — inside a $70-billion deal. It didn't have to. On October 28, Canada and the UAE elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership: a trade agreement negotiated in 47 days, up to CAD $70 billion in Emirati investment into Canada, cooperation on energy, AI and critical minerals. And one final paragraph — calling Iran's administration of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa an "occupation" — that none of the economics required. In this Spotlight: what the paragraph does inside Iran, why even the regime's fiercest opponent says the islands are Iranian, what it means for the nearly 280,000 Canadians of Iranian origin, and the three things Ottawa should do from here. Full written dispatch with every source: https://josephsoares.com/canadas-paragraph-irans-fate-november-2026.html Corridor Intelligence — strategic analysis for decision-makers. More at https://josephsoares.com Support the show Thank you for listening to Corridor Intelligence. Website: josephsoares.com  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@corridorintelligence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soaresjoseph/ X: https://x.com/JosephSoares Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephsoaresonline/ Telegram: https://t.me/corridorintelligence

  3. 27 Oct

    Canada's Productivity Crisis: What Must Government Do? Daniel Veniez

    Send us Fan Mail What should government actually do to make Canada more productive, more competitive and less dependent on one customer? Daniel Veniez gives his answer, and he does not soften it. Veniez advised three ministers in the Mulroney government, built his own companies in British Columbia, and was sent in by Ottawa to fix a Crown corporation that had lost money for thirty years. He fixed it in eighteen months. In this conversation: Why Canada’s GDP per person grew only about 4% in a decade, against 23% in the United StatesWhy U.S. business investment rose 51% while Canada’s rose 4.2%Internal trade barriers that act like a 9% tariff, and how to remove themWhy more than 70% of Canada’s goods exports still go to one country, and how to reduce that dependenceWhat investors really look for, and how much tax mattersThe one thing a business leader should do this quarter, and the one thing Veniez would ask Ottawa to doWhy he says Canadians may one day have reason to thank Donald TrumpThe views expressed are Daniel Veniez’s own. Watch the full conversation: https://youtu.be/Y39I1yUlvcI Leadership Under Fire, out now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HNDZXSHK Read Chapter One free: https://brief.josephsoares.com/chapter-one Subscribe to Corridor Intelligence: https://www.youtube.com/@corridorintelligence?sub_confirmation=1 Corridor Intelligence is hosted by Joseph Soares, former Chief of Staff in the Senate of Canada during the pandemic, and in the Prime Minister’s Office during the 2008 financial crisis. Thank you for listening to Corridor Intelligence. Website: josephsoares.com  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@corridorintelligence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soaresjoseph/ X: https://x.com/JosephSoares Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephsoaresonline/ Telegram: https://t.me/corridorintelligence

  4. 16 Oct

    Why Relying Only on the U.S. Market is a Strategic Failure

    Send us Fan Mail Daniel Veniez is back by popular demand. He advised three federal cabinet ministers in Brian Mulroney's government, built his own companies in British Columbia, and was sent in to fix Ridley Terminals, a Crown corporation (a company owned by the Government of Canada) that had lost money for 30 years. He fixed it in 18 months. In part one of this two-part conversation, Joseph Soares puts your comments to him: has Canadian business become too comfortable? For decades, selling into the United States was the smart commercial move, and the U.S. market remains an enormous opportunity. The question is whether it should be the only ambition, and what a company can do about it without betting the business. In this conversation: * Where comfort stops being smart and becomes a habit * Is it fair to blame Canadian business for doing what the market rewarded? * Why productivity is about adopting technology in time, not only inventing it * Why Canadian companies underinvest, and why a tax incentive is not a business strategy * A small diversification test: one customer, one product, one budget line * What to do when a company has no spare capacity, and what smaller businesses can do * What the softwood lumber dispute teaches about depending on one customer CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 1:58 Where comfort stops being smart 5:56 Is it fair to blame Canadian business? 8:00 Productivity and the investment gap 13:03 Why Canadian companies underinvest 16:06 A small diversification test 18:44 What if there is no spare capacity? 19:59 What can smaller businesses do? 21:46 Isn't the U.S. still our best market? 22:46 What the softwood lumber dispute teaches 30:25 A trade agreement is not a business strategy Part 2, where we turn the same questions on Ottawa, publishes next week. Watch the first conversation with Daniel Veniez: https://youtu.be/ik1UJrV2M5Q Disclosure: Daniel Veniez appears in Joseph Soares' book, Leadership Under Fire (chapter three), out October 20. He is here on the strength of his experience, not the book. Leadership Under Fire: https://josephsoares.com/book.html?ref=podcast The Corridor Brief: https://brief.josephsoares.com/?ref=podcast Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3xPTVCe3DHctf_LZTn3gxw?sub_confirmation=1 Joseph Soares built his early career in international business, developing trade and accounts globally, before serving in the Prime Minister's Office of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis and as Chief of Staff in the Senate of Canada during the pandemic. He runs a management advisory firm that helps businesses and governments work through high-stakes challenges. Corridor Intelligence is his analysis programme on power, institutions and decision-making. #CanadianBusiness #Canada #CorridorIntelligence Watch the video: https://youtu.be/sBVn9m2hqEwThank you for listening to Corridor Intelligence. Website: josephsoares.com  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@corridorintelligence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soaresjoseph/ X: https://x.com/JosephSoares Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephsoaresonline/ Telegram: https://t.me/corridorintelligence

  5. 8 Oct

    Gulf Oil Exports and the Buffer Crisis: What You Need to Know

    Send us Fan Mail Gulf oil exports are back to 81% of their pre-war level. Refined fuels, the part that includes diesel, are at 60%. Here is what paid for the recovery, why the G7's 100 million barrel headline needs a second look, and the one line in the data that says when the buffers start to refill. 00:00 The number 00:21 What this episode covers 00:41 The lens 00:58 The recovery 01:42 What recovered, and what did not 02:08 How the 81% was achieved 02:49 Three buffers 03:02 Buffer 1: emergency reserves 03:35 The second look at the G7 number 04:05 Buffer 2: commercial inventory 05:08 Buffer 3: the workaround 05:29 Why the consensus is incomplete 07:08 The corridor angle: Pacific Link 08:24 What to do 09:19 What to watch 10:12 Before you go SOURCES (EN) 1. Reuters (via Zawya) — Gulf oil flows rise to average 81% of pre-war rate in September, data shows (Oct 6, 2026) — https://www.zawya.com/en/business/oil-gas/gulf-oil-flows-rise-to-average-81-of-pre-war-rate-in-september-data-shows-1510861 2. Al Jazeera — Hormuz ship attacks surge: Are increased oil exports sustainable? (Oct 6, 2026) — https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/6/hormuz-ship-attacks-surge-are-increased-oil-exports-sustainable 3. International Energy Agency — Statement by IEA Executive Director on meeting of IEA Member governments on 7 October 2026 (Oct 7, 2026) — https://www.iea.org/news/statement-by-iea-executive-director-on-meeting-of-iea-member-governments-on-7-october-2026 4. International Energy Agency — Update on IEA collective action decision of 11 March 2026 (Mar 15, 2026) — https://www.iea.org/news/update-on-iea-collective-action-decision-of-11-march-2026 5. Al Jazeera — G7 to release 100m oil barrels as Trump hails Europe diesel deal (Oct 2, 2026) — https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/2/trump-says-europe-agrees-to-release-massive-amount-diesel-stockpile 6. Reuters (via Khaleej Times) — Replenishing crude, fuel stocks could take 2 years: Saudi Arabia Aramco CEO (Oct 5, 2026) — https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/markets/replenishing-crude-fuel-stocks-could-take-2-years-saudi-arabia-aramco-ceo 7. U.S. Energy Information Administration — Short-Term Energy Outlook, October 2026 (Oct 6, 2026) — https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/ 8. U.S. Energy Information Administration — Weekly U.S. on-highway diesel retail prices, all types (week of Oct 5, 2026) — https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_gnd_a_epd2d_pte_dpgal_w.htm 9. Federal Reserve — Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, September 15-16, 2026 (Oct 7, 2026) — https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomcminutes20260916.htm 10. Prime Minister of Canada — Prime Minister Carney lists the West Coast Oil Pipeline, now known as Pacific Link, as a project of national interest (Oct 1, 2026) — https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2026/10/01/prime-minister-carney-lists-west-coast-oil-pipeline-now-known-pacific 11. BNN Bloomberg — The business case is very strong: Canada designates new west coast pipeline first project of national interest (Oct 1, 2026) — https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/politics/2026/10/01/the-business-case-is-very-strong-canada-designates-new-west-coast-pipeline-first-project-of-national-interest/ The Corridor Brief, free every weekday morning, straight to your inbox: https://brief.josephsoares.com/?ref=podcast Subscribe to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/@corridorintelligence?sub_confirmation=1 Joseph Soares served in Canada's Prime Minister's Office during the 2008 financial crisis and was Chief of Staff in the Senate of Canada during the 2020 pandemic. Leadership Under Fire, out October 20: https://josephsoares.com/book.html?ref=podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soaresjoseph/ X: https://x.com/JosephSoares #CorridorIntelligence #Oil #EnergySecurity #CanadaUS Watch the video: https://youtu.be/DCSEe9J7CxQThank you for listening to Corridor Intelligence. Website: josephsoares.com  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@corridorintelligence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soaresjoseph/ X: https://x.com/JosephSoares Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephsoaresonline/ Telegram: https://t.me/corridorintelligence

  6. 7 Oct

    Daniel Veniez: "I Took No Salary to Fix a Failing Crown Corporation — Here's What It Took".

    Send us Fan Mail Daniel Veniez was handed a Crown corporation that had lost money for 30 straight years. He took no salary for the job — and within 18 months he had a new board, an unprecedented seven-year labour agreement, First Nations who now saw the terminal as theirs to help build, and the first repayment ever on what it owed the taxpayer. He advised three federal cabinet ministers in Brian Mulroney's government. He built his own companies in British Columbia. Then he was sent in to fix Ridley Terminals. Joseph Soares talks with him about what leadership actually is — and what it asks of the person doing it. In this conversation: What leadership is, and why a leader has to know the detailChallenging assumptions without sounding arrogantFixing a culture of complacencyWinning a seven-year labour agreement with a suspicious workforceMaking First Nations partners in the business, not recipientsWhat Canada–U.S. trade demands of a leaderWhy major national projects take timeWhen government should own a business, and when it shouldn'tWhat to do in week one at a struggling institutionIs leadership lonely? And what does it cost your family?CHAPTERS  0:00 Introduction  1:59 What is leadership?  3:43 Challenging assumptions without arrogance  5:19 Fixing a culture of complacency  8:00 A seven-year labour agreement  13:53 First Nations as partners in the business  20:39 Canada–U.S. trade and the leader's job  25:00 Why major projects take time  31:00 When government should own a business  34:02 Week one at a struggling institution  37:51 Is leadership lonely?  42:10 The cost to family Disclosure: Daniel Veniez appears in Joseph Soares' book, Leadership Under Fire (chapter three), coming October 20. He's here on the strength of his experience, not the book. Leadership Under Fire: https://josephsoares.com/book.html?ref=podcast The Corridor Brief: https://brief.josephsoares.com/?ref=podcast Joseph Soares built his early career in international business, developing trade and accounts globally, before serving in the Prime Minister's Office of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis and as Chief of Staff in the Senate of Canada during the pandemic. He runs a management advisory firm that helps businesses and governments work through high-stakes challenges. Corridor Intelligence is his analysis programme on power, institutions and decision-making. Thank you for listening to Corridor Intelligence. Website: josephsoares.com  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@corridorintelligence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soaresjoseph/ X: https://x.com/JosephSoares Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephsoaresonline/ Telegram: https://t.me/corridorintelligence

  7. 2 Oct

    The New Rules of Canada-US Trade: Everything You Need to Know

    Send us Fan Mail Canada's Section 338 tariffs just became an outright import ban on three categories: alcohol, dairy and some motor-vehicle products. Here's what the Sept. 29 escalation in the Canada–US trade dispute means for anyone who moves goods across the border. Since 12:01 a.m. Eastern on September 29, 2026, those three categories of Canadian goods can no longer enter the United States at any price. This dispatch covers the four moves a government has when it decides a trading partner is discriminating against it (negotiate, impose a tariff, retaliate, exclude), why a ban is a different instrument from a tariff, and the customs rule that determines what happens to goods caught in between. The entry rule, from the proclamation text: goods that had already been imported but not yet entered for consumption or withdrawn from the warehouse before September 29 remain subject to the 50% duty instead of being banned. What counts is entry into the United States, not the date the goods left Canada. On scope: the 50% duty applies to a defined list of Canadian product lines, not to everything Canada sells to the United States. The three banned categories account for less than 1% of US imports from Canada. Chapters 0:00 Three categories: banned, not taxed 0:39 What this dispatch covers 1:22 A 1930 law, first used this year 2:19 Negotiate, tariff, retaliate, exclude 3:24 Why a ban is different from a tariff 4:38 Two governments, one statute 4:55 Entry date, not ship date 5:27 What a business should do now 5:54 What to watch next 📘 Leadership Under Fire, out October 20: https://josephsoares.com/book.html?ref=podcast 🔔 Subscribe to Corridor Intelligence: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3xPTVCe3DHctf_LZTn3gxw?sub_confirmation=1 Sources: Federal Register, Proclamations 11061–11065 (Sept 2026); Congressional Research Service R49349; Global Trade Alert; Department of Finance Canada, counter-tariff list effective Sept 8, 2026; KPMG TaxNewsFlash (Sept 2026). Watch the video: https://youtu.be/I7pWjjsP-H4Thank you for listening to Corridor Intelligence. Website: josephsoares.com  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@corridorintelligence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soaresjoseph/ X: https://x.com/JosephSoares Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephsoaresonline/ Telegram: https://t.me/corridorintelligence

  8. 26 Sept

    Tech Leaders at the State Dinner: What They Didn't Tell You

    Send us Fan Mail Six of the most powerful people in American technology sat down for a state dinner in Washington this week. One real thing got settled — and it wasn't AI governance. In this episode: the US–China truce that now runs to January 10, the 26% figure from inside Anthropic, the $5.6B of Nvidia chips that reached ByteDance and Alibaba, and the two dates that decide what happens next. The Corridor Brief — free, every weekday morning, no algorithm: https://brief.josephsoares.com/?ref=podcast Leadership Under Fire — the book, October 20, 2026: https://josephsoares.com/book.html?ref=podcast Corridor Intelligence with Joseph Soares. Six tech leaders met in Washington, but the real news wasn't AI governance. It was buried in a prospectus. The recent state dinner in Washington coincided with high-level diplomatic visits, yet the most critical developments regarding technology oversight remain outside the public eye. While the discussion focused on the US-China tech corridor, the actual mechanics of control are shifting. A model now directs twenty-six percent of Anthropic research, signaling that internal corporate policy is currently outpacing federal regulation. Meanwhile, the flow of capital and hardware continues. We examine the logistics of the $5.6 billion in semiconductor exports that reached ByteDance and Alibaba, and the two specific dates that will dictate the next phase of this geopolitical standoff. Understanding these institutional shifts is essential for anyone tracking the real constraints on global innovation. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/yBaxU6RWxC4Thank you for listening to Corridor Intelligence. Website: josephsoares.com  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@corridorintelligence LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soaresjoseph/ X: https://x.com/JosephSoares Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josephsoaresonline/ Telegram: https://t.me/corridorintelligence

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About

Corridor Intelligence is Joseph Soares' strategic analysis show: geopolitics, capital, resources, and the decisions that move them. Each episode explains how power, institutions and money actually move, with every figure carrying its source. Joseph Soares served in the Prime Minister's Office of Canada through the 2008 financial crisis and was Chief of Staff in the Senate of Canada through the pandemic. The written analysis and the free daily Corridor Brief are available at josephsoares.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Joseph Soares
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Corridor Intelligence
  • Show Website
    Corridor Intelligence