Canadian prime ministers have not publicly said whether they would prefer U.S. President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump to return to the White House, but they have welcomed one outcome in November: the survival of Canada-U.S. trading relations.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston was in Halifax on Tuesday to attend the annual summer meeting of the Council of Federation, saying “important discussions” had taken place about the upcoming election when premiers gathered privately.
The United States is Canada’s largest trading partner, with more than $3.6 billion in goods and services crossing the border each day.
“The focus of the discussion is about how to maintain that relationship,” said Houston, who is chairing this summer’s meeting. “We’re looking at the bigger picture, and we’re all conscious of that.”
Houston said state officials on trade missions to the U.S. have already met with Democrats and Republicans “as a matter of course.” He said he expects the pitch for Canada’s critical mineral resources and energy production capabilities will be reinforced again when the Canadian trade team next meets with governors and other U.S. officials.
“These are things that are important to America, no matter who’s in power, and that we can offer in this country,” he said. “We need to stay focused on this.”
Trade agreements are due for review in the coming years
Trade relations have been unstable for some time.
President Trump famously caused panic at multiple levels of government in 2016 when he threatened to tear up the old North American Free Trade Agreement.
Canadian officials were successful in renegotiating North American trade agreements with the Trump administration, but their ability to save Canada’s most important trade pact was by no means certain.
The winner in November will lead the US through the review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), scheduled for 2026.
The Biden administration has staunchly opposed nearly every word that comes out of President Trump’s mouth, but has kept much of his trade policy in place.
“There are many challenges facing the country as we have a new president in place,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday.
Houston said the two prime ministers also discussed Canada’s obligations to NATO. Just last week, the Liberal government said it wants to meet NATO’s military investment threshold of 2 percent of member states’ gross domestic product by 2032.
“How would certain U.S. administrations view Canada if it did not meet those obligations?” Houston said.
“These types of discussions are on the minds of prime ministers and Canadians.”
Quebec Premier François Legault, speaking in French, said a Trump presidency could lead to even more immigration to Canada. The Republican president has been blamed for a surge in asylum seekers during his presidency from 2016 to 2020, but some researchers argue the issue is more complicated than that.
Ahead of the meeting in Halifax, Legault urged his provincial premiers to accept more asylum seekers. In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the two premiers said they agreed to call for a “fair distribution” of asylum seekers based on each province’s and territory’s capacity to provide housing and services.
As the November election approaches, the federal government has launched a “Team Canada” charm offensive against U.S. officials in an effort to thwart punitive trade measures.
One unanswered question is whether a re-elected Trump will follow through on his pledge to impose tariffs on imports worldwide, and whether that will include Canada.
Ford was the first to admit that he hasn’t always promoted a team approach, but said he has changed his tune.
“I was probably the worst one to tell governors, ‘Buy Ontario,’ but I think U.S. governors realize how important a trading partner we are and their language is changing now,” he said.
“We need to be open with each other. At the end of the day, we need to work together.”
