In the days following the surprising victory of Republic candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. election, political and business leaders around the world have been feverishly trying to figure out what Trump’s presidency may bring with it. The business community here on the Lower Mainland has also been keenly listening to pundits to understand what four years of Trump’s leadership may mean for business dealings with Canada’s closest neighbour and important trading partner.
A forum titled “President Trump: What It Means for Canada” will be held by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Friday afternoon to try to delve deeper into the prospects of Trump’s presidency for the local economy and business community.
Speakers include Gary Doer, former Canadian Ambassador to U.S. under Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Gordon Giffin, former U.S. Ambassador to Canada under Bill Clinton’s administration. The conversation will be moderated by former MP and cabinet minister James Moore.
READ MORE: What President Donald Trump will mean for Canada
Speaking on the Global News Morning BC, president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade Iain Black said both Doer and Giffin have unique perspectives on trade between Canada and the U.S., so he expects a technical economic conversation, but also a chance to interpret what was heard in the campaign and establish a degree to which the business community here should be concerned.
“There was a lot of really heated discussion during the campaign,” said Black. “The challenge for all of us is to see how much of that was just rhetoric and how much of it is actually the value system reflected by the new administration.”
“We, as a business community, are cautious but not overly alarmed at the moment simply because there is an economic reality that binds our two countries,” said Black. “The [U.S.] is our closest friend, ally and trading partner. The employment of 35 million Americans largely depends on Canadian trade. So you are not going to see some cavalier decisions made by the new administration that will put 35 million Americans out of work by closing the border trade-wise between our two countries. Our dependency on each other is enormous.”
Black says he is convinced there will be changes. “But we’ve got to understand if those changes are just tonal or will they be more substantive,” he said.
WATCH: How will Donald Trump’s win impact Canadians? Ted Chernecki reports.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump after his historic win, saying he looks forward to working “very closely” with the Trump administration. Meanwhile, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair refused to take back his prior comments that Trump was a fascist.
Earlier this month, B.C. Premier Christy Clark and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson both voiced their willingness to work with the President-elect despite the toxic rhetoric that dominated the U.S. election. Robertson also said it was far too early to say what implications Trump’s win will have for Vancouver or Canada overall.
READ MORE: B.C. Premier, Vancouver mayor react to Trump’s election win
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