By Shachi Kurl, President
What does it all mean? From chatter in the elevator of my building to declarative statements from Parliament Hill, in voices whispered and booming, it feels everyone is trying to parse how Tuesday’s U.S. election result will affect, well, everything.
If there’s any comfort to be taken, it’s that this time, we have a sense of what might happen, at least to the massive trade and economic relationship that Canada shares with the U.S., and indeed depends upon. Many of our politicians — and many federal bureaucrats — have past experience with Donald Trump.
NAFTA (or whatever we call it now) will be back under the microscope, up for renegotiation soon. There will likely be new tariffs on Canadian goods, although it should be noted that Americans themselves don’t have much of an appetite for “major” export taxes on the items we sell them.
To deal with it all, the Justin Trudeau government has reconstituted a cabinet committee filled with heavy-hitting ministers to manage all aspects of life under a Trump White House, from defence to immigration to investment. Senior public servants are preparing strategic options.
Expect more rhetoric about how experience is the Liberal government’s strength in protecting a partnership that sees $3.6 billion in goods and services crossing the border every day. It’s not an entirely unfair boast to make.