On November 8th, 2016, Donald Trump was elected as America’s President and the world changed. For the better? We’re not sure and now, only time can tell. But what do the results mean for Canadians? Vv Magazine’s Grayson Miller gives us some insight.
Our friends south of the border have spoken. Donald Trump has been elected the 45th President of the United States. While the results of this historic election will have ramifications that not even the experts can fully understand, a question many Canadians have is, what does this mean for us?
Over the course of the divisive campaign, Trump has consistently made remarks about America’s relationship with other countries, putting our future relationship with our neighbours down south in question. Here’s what the experts are saying a Trump presidency could mean for Canada.
If Trump sticks to his guns and follows his campaign trail promises, Canadian exporters could face some trouble.
Trump has made his opinion on the North American Free Trade agreement known, he thinks it’s the “worst trade deal ever”. Canadian policy makers and officials will have to be on the ball and think of actionable updates to NAFTA to protect Canadian interest should Trump stick to his word and change NAFTA or get rid of it entirely.
In order for Trump to move America away from NAFTA, Congress would have to repeal the legislation that makes NAFTA possible. This is a definite possibility as the Republican party, as of 3:00 am today, held 51 congressional seats compared to the Democrats’ 47. This means that Trump will have an easier road pushing changes through congress. Getting rid of NAFTA could potentially cause higher prices for Canadian exports, causing a ripple effect in Canada’s export industry affecting jobs and production.
Trump’s policies could have some favourable outcomes for Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau has supported Keystone XL as a way to boost Alberta’s economy. Trump has said that he would be interested in having TransCanada revive its application for the pipeline which was vetoed by Barack Obama. The pipeline would give Alberta crude a more direct route to American refineries. The result could potentially increase the supply of jobs in Canada’s battered oil industry.
However, Canadians and Trump would disagree again over Trump’s vow to get rid of the Paris climate deal that the U.S. and Canada signed onto last year.
Lastly, there will be concerns for Canadians regarding immigration and security policies. Many Americans joked about potentially leaving the U.S. and immigrating to Canada. It will be interesting to see if this actually happens at any noticeable rate. Additionally, Trump has suggested that he will impose “extreme vetting” on Muslim immigrants and refugees and has insisted that he will establish a biometrics entry-exit border crossing system. Both these policies could cause major headaches and extra waiting times at Canada/U.S. borders.
Regardless of what you think about last night’s election results, America is headed for a big change. Whether you wanted Trump or not, Canadians will always do their best to works with their closest allies.
Here’s to the next four years, it should be interesting, to say the least.
RELATED LINK: How the Internet is Reacting to Donald Trump’s Presidential Win
How do you think Donald Trump’s presidential win will impact Canada? Let Vv Magazine know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewtheVibe.