Notley to advocate for Alberta trading interests during Washington trip
Premier Rachel Notley will head to Washington, D.C., at the end of the month in a bid to strengthen relationships with trade allies in the United States.
With the push toward buying American and increasingly protectionist trade measures growing stronger under the new Trump administration, Notley said Friday the province is working proactively to stay on top of potential issues.
The exact itinerary for the premier’s four-day trip starting Feb. 26 is yet to be ironed out, but will likely include meetings with members of Congress, business leaders and think tanks.
Notley said it’s important for Alberta’s story to be told at a number of different levels to reinforce the province’s position as a viable training partner.
Equally important, she said, is advocating in Ottawa and Washington “using every means available, and with a united voice.”
The current volatile environment around trade has elevated the importance of communication between the province, Canada’s federal government and different industries, she said.
“There may be opportunities we don’t even imagine, as well as things that represent pressures on our economic well-being,” Notley said.
“Either way, it’s our job to work with them and be as strategic as we possibly can.”
The premier acknowledged it’s tough to point to a single trip and quantify the result, but said it’s important to remain on the radar and keep educating representatives in the United States about the importance of Alberta trade relationships.
“As much as we seem to spend a lot of time thinking about the U.S., they honestly don’t do the same with respect to us,” she said.
Notley ’s trip to D.C. comes off the back of a series of roundtables with leaders in Alberta’s oil and gas, forestry, manufacturing and agribusiness sectors.
The idea behind those meetings was to listen to industry concerns around sending goods south, and general ideas about U.S. trade partnerships.
What she heard was a collective desire to expand to markets outside the U.S., Canada’s largest trading partner, in particular moving aggressively into the Asia Pacific region.
“We know the more we can grow our markets in the Asia Pacific, the more that takes the pressure off industry here should pressures arise — as they likely will — with access to U.S. markets,” Notley said.
She said a number of other trade missions are being planned for later in the year.