Canadian Legislative Issues

The most anticipated political event of 2017 is the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.  This is true for many American political pundits and leaders, who are looking toward what the newly elected President has in store for his first months in office.  This is also true for Canadian politicians, who have either openly or privately spoken about what the Trump presidency will mean for the Great White North.

Over the weeks following the election in early-November, Canadian political journalists have written numerous opinion pieces focusing on different areas of policy.  This includes international trade, climate change, defense and numerous other policy areas. One of the most spoken about subjects is how the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will be handled between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Trump and Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto.  Many Canadian manufacturers, who rely on economic clusters that include American counterparts, are concerned on how either the elimination or reform of the free trade agreement will negatively affect their sector.  The entire Canadian economy is also concerned, with the fact that Canada exports more than 400 billion dollars' worth of goods to the United States yearly, of which millions of jobs rely on.

Furthermore, the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change that was signed between the Prime Minister and Premiers on December 9, 2016 raises concerns in economic competition. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has been leading the charge against any kind of carbon tax, with one of his fears being competition between Canada and the United States, especially since President-elect Trump has stated numerous times that he would reverse some of the previous administrations climate change policies. Time will tell if a Canadian carbon tax will truly burden the economy or if Brad Wall’s concerns were only political in nature, seeing that his province is the largest per capita carbon emitter in the country.  

Finally, although the inauguration this month will be praised by some and protested by others, Canadians will continue to hope that the relationship that has been built over a century between our two countries persist. The true test to the fragility of this relationship lies in how the leaders of the two countries interact and if they can find a common ground on important issues to both their citizens.