For the first time since Donald Trump started touting his ‘buy American, hire American’ edict Canadians got to hear what it meant for them via one of his top economic advisors.
Blackstock CEO Stephen Schwarzman was in Calgary for the federal cabinet retreat, meeting with ministers and then the Prime Minister separately. He’s a longtime Trump ally and came at the request of new foreign affairs minister Chrystia Freeland, a friend.
For months, anxiety in this country has been building around Trump’s protectionist rhetoric. Will there be a border tax on Canadian goods going south of the border? Could free trade between our two countries – one of the most interdependent relationships in the world – come to an end?
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Canadians finally have some kind of answer from someone who actually knows Trump – and it’s good news.
“Canada is held in very high regard,” Schwarzman told reporters after leaving the cabinet meeting. “We have balanced trade between the U.S. and Canada. That’s not the kind of situation where you should be worried.”
Schwarzman’s remarks are certainly welcome news in this country, but can Canadians truly breathe a sigh of relief?
Just the night before Schwarzman’s comments were made, Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. had a different take. Even though Mexico is likely Trump’s trade target, David MacNaughton fears Canada could be caught in the crosshairs.
“That’s what we gotta worry about,” he said. “That we’re collateral damage.”
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MacNaughton claims Canada could end up pursuing a free trade deal with the U.S. that doesn’t include Mexico.
When we asked Freeland if she supported the idea, she downplayed the possibility.
“Let me just say we have a very strong relationship with Mexico,” she said.
There’s also the question of how much sway Trump advisors like Schwarzman have with the new President. There’s no doubt Schwarzman is convinced the Canada-U.S. trade relationship is vital – but does Trump believe the same thing?
The jury’s still out on that one.
We asked Schwarzman but he didn’t answer, instead pointing out many Americans don’t realize Canada isn’t actually part of the U.S.