COMMENTARY: Trump’s ‘America first’ agenda a threat to Canada-U.S. trade, say Alberta business leaders

On the heels of Donald Trump’s predetermination arsenic the 47th president of the United States, superior concerns are being raised implicit the imaginable antagonistic interaction it could person connected Alberta’s biggest trading partner.

The Alberta government says the United States is by acold the province’s biggest trading partner, with much than $156B worthy of exports successful 2023 alone.

Premier Danielle Smith tweeted her congratulations to the caller American president and vice-president aboriginal successful the greeting of Wednesday, Nov. 6.

She besides reminded them of the important relation Alberta lipid and earthy state play successful North America’s vigor security, saying, “We look guardant to reinforcing Alberta’s ties successful the United States and moving unneurotic with the caller administration.”

However, immoderate successful the state are already raising reddish flags astir the aboriginal of Alberta’s narration with retired American neighbours.

“To the grade it involves economical protectionism, the treatment Donald Trump has had astir tarriffs — that could person a precise important interaction connected the full Canadian economy,” said MRU Policy Studies subordinate professor, Lori Williams.  “It presents important challenges some politically and economically.”

“It’s going to beryllium an uphill conflict for Canadian officials to effort to marque the lawsuit that determination are things that are successful our communal involvement that warrant treating Canada otherwise than immoderate different countries,” added Williams.

Asked if Trump’s outspoken enactment for the lipid manufacture could pb to much American request for Canadian oil, Williams said, “The world is that the U.S. is producing much lipid than it consumes truthful I deliberation Alberta volition beryllium looking to different markets chiefly for exporting its oil.”

Other industries, “such arsenic agriculture could (also) beryllium importantly affected by protectionist policies successful the United States,” Williams added.

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce echoes her concerns implicit the interaction of Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda, which emphasizes self-reliance, deregulation and the imposition of tariffs connected goods imported from different countries.

In a connection issued pursuing the election, Chamber president Deborah Yedlin said “with $3.6 cardinal successful goods and services crossing our borderline daily, Canada’s system – particularly sectors similar energy, agriculture, and captious minerals – depends connected U.S. markets.”

“Trump’s absorption connected vigor independency and tariffs could enactment Canadian exports astatine a disadvantage,” adds Yedlin, “risking billions successful gross and threatening jobs, peculiarly successful our captious vigor sector.”

Yedlin is calling connected the provincial and national governments to enactment unneurotic connected a unified ‘Team Canada’ attack to navigate the challenges of a Trump administration.