Premiers to pitch trade benefits to the American people
Canada is U.S.’s biggest export market, ahead of China, Japan, U.K. combined, envoy says
SAINT ANDREWS, N.B.— It’s time for provincial leaders to reach out to everyday Americans to stress the importance of trade between the two countries, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. said at the premiers’ annual summer conference.
David MacNaughton met with 13 provincial and territorial leaders in New Brunswick Thursday morning, as the premiers talked about the economy, reducing interprovincial trade barriers, as well as the issue of tariffs imposed by the American government under U.S. President Donald Trump.
MacNaughton told reporters that he’s seen “unprecedented” federal, provincial and public-private business co-operation to combat trade troubles with the U.S.
“Canada is the bigger market for the U.S. than China, Japan and Great Britain combined” — a statistic that surprises many Americans, MacNaughton said.
Difficult times are here, with NAFTA renegotiations, U.S.-imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum, among other mounting trade woes.
Now it’s time to start “looking for ideas as to how we can do a better job,” MacNaughton said.
And while it is essential for premiers to continue to reach out to U.S. governors — including Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s plan to visit the states for whom Ontario is the largest trading partner — “what came forward from a number of the premiers is that … we need to go to the next step and reach out to individual Americans.”
That could be accomplished, he said, by speaking to U.S. media to increase exposure.
“We’ve concentrated on a lot of the people who we thought would be supporters and enthusiastic about trade with Canada,” MacNaughton said. “We need to reach out to those who may not yet be convinced” — or even those who are antitrade — even though their jobs depend on it, he said. It’s time to “get out to the people who could have an impact.”
New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant said 90 per cent of exports from his province head to the U.S., so the trade issues with the Americans are a “reminder of the importance of diversifying” into other markets and also breaking down interprovincial trade barriers. He said all the premiers are on board with the “freer flow” of beer and alcohol across provincial borders, and that he hoped something concrete would come out of the meetings.
Meanwhile, Ontario’s Minister of Trade Jim Wilson was to speak at a U.S. Department of Commerce public hearing on the U.S. government’s use of “national security” to potentially impose tariffs on auto parts. Wilson said he believes this is the first time a sub-national government has appeared before the committee.