Provincial cabinet urged to tout trade to counter Trump’s protectionism

Economic development minister warns ‘risks involved’ in renegotiating NAFTA

Ontario cabinet ministers have been armed with a sheet of talking points to promote Ontario trade with the United States in President Donald Trump’s protectionist era.

The sheet of Ontario-U.S. economic tidbits was done up by the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, of which Premier Kathleen Wynne is the minister, and handed out to cabinet the day before Trump’s inauguration.

Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid said talk of Buy American policies and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement is “unsettling.”

“We don’t want to be naive to the fact that there are some risks involved in that,” he said Friday.

“At the same time, we in Ontario are fortunate to be able to say that we should be confident going forward because we come from a position of strength.”

The auto parts supply chain is so integrated the average vehicle crosses the Ontario-U.S. border seven times before it is completed, Duguid said. Ontario is the top export destination of 20 states and more than US$800 million in goods is traded across Ontario’s borders with the U.S. each day.

“When we’re in discussions with the new administration to the south and when we’re in discussions as well with our colleague governments in the Great Lake states and other places, it’s really important that the new administration is aware of just how relevant an unfettered border is to American jobs,” Duguid said.

One-third of the economic activity in the U.S. and Canada is generated in the Great LakesSt. Lawrence region, and, if it were a country, it would rank as the third-largest economy in the world, with an economic output of US$5.8 trillion, according to the fact sheet.

“The point we’re making to our colleagues to the south in a very friendly way, an informative way, is this trade relationship is good for us, and it’s good for our American friends as well,” Duguid said. “If the new president wants to grow American jobs, an important part of that will be ensuring a very vibrant, healthy trade relationship with Canada and Ontario.”

Trump has said he wants to discuss his plan to overhaul NAFTA with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when the two meet at the White House on Monday.

Federal ministers have also been hammering the message that trade with Canada is good for the U.S., as three cabinet ministers visited Washington, D.C., this week. Finance Minister Bill Morneau met with members of the U.S. Congress and the administration to drive home that point.

We in Ontario are fortunate to be able to say that we should be confident … because we come from a position of strength.