President-elect Trump promised to cut energy costs by 50% in 18 months. That won’t be accomplished without Canadian resources. Just getting that out-of-the-way. Then to offer some perspective on Danielle Smith from Alberta:
Second in oil production in Canada is Saskatchewan, & third is Newfoundland.
The United States of America borders on exactly two countries. Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. Canada borders on one country, and does the majority of its trade with that one country it shares a land border with…to the tune of about 3/4’s of its exports going to America. I’m just defining the relationship here.
In the past, in recent memory, efforts to diversify (putting our eggs into more baskets) have been stymied (& yes, I’m going to use the oil industry as an example shortly) becauit’s much cheaper and easier to deal with a bordering country, but it is to ship products and resources across either the Pacific or Atlantic oceans.
What happens when Alberta (& Sask) try to expand the ability to get oil/gas/etc…to I did the Atlantic or the Pacific oceans in order to export that product into “other baskets?” Do we get a unified Team Canada approach? Something that’s good for the nation as a whole, like building the trans Canada Highway or the transcontinental railroad, this it must go through? Not so much….& yes, AB and SK are completely landlocked, and MB with the exception of Churchill for part of the year might as well be also.
(I happen to be on the logistical side of bringing finished products from America into Canada. That’s what I do. Just getting that out of the way also)
Anyway, back to Trump and tariffs. Yes, Canada is a fraction of the illegal immigrant problem and drug smuggling problem into America that Mexico is, but it still is part of the problem. It still has the longest undefended border in the world with its only neighbour. Yes, we can do better. Yes, the border goes in both directions.
We can crack down on illegal immigration (and emigration) and drug (& gun) smuggling in both directions at our border…at the same time!! It’s the same Border!!! Wouldn’t that be cool? Decreasing the amount of of illegal immigration, & drug smuggling, & gun smuggling, etc…coming into Canada Is half of the issue solved (or working towards being solved), & a decrease in the amount of illicit goods & bodies flowing into the US would be a byproduct of that. Huh…
Now for a twist. We increase military spending, drones, etc…& utilize that resource to combat/enforce our own border security domestically. This increases military spending, decreases crime, Slows down the open floodgate of handguns coming in from the US into Canada, slows down the illegal importation of fentanyl into our nation, etc…