Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson says watching the U.S. presidential election was “extremely disheartening,” but is holding out hope Donald Trump’s governing doesn’t reflect bombastic rhetoric delivered during his campaign.
Iveson said Wednesday that explaining to his school-age children that the next U.S. president had made some very disrespectful comments about other people, particularly women, was difficult.
Mayor Don Iveson says watching the U.S. presidential election was “extremely disheartening.” (CBC)
“That’s really upsetting for me to have to talk about with my four-year-old daughter, that in this day and age those attitudes are still out there and to some degree can be at least overlooked — if not, to some degree, condoned — by so many people in this election,” Iveson said Wednesday.
In a close race Tuesday night, Republican Donald Trump edged out Democrat Hillary Clinton for the win. Trump’s inauguration as the 45th president is scheduled for Jan. 20.
While campaigning, Trump suggested aggressive policy reform in a wide range of areas, including trade, border security and energy.
In a victory speech during the early hours of Wednesday morning, he vowed, “I will not let you down.”
Fate of free trade uncertain
Lead economic thinkers in Edmonton are already thinking about how the president-elect’s propositions could affect Alberta.
Trump’s slogan was “Make America Great Again.” The president-elect’s inward focus has not been lost on John Rose, chief economist for the City of Edmonton.
Rose foresees both positive and negative impacts over the longer term.
John Rose, the city’s chief economist, says Edmonton’s economy could feel positive and negative ramifications of Donald Trump’s presidency over the longer term. (CBC)
Trump has called the North American Free Trade Agreement a “disaster” for the U.S. economy.
“Significant revision to NAFTA could lead to significant reduction in our ability to export to the United States,” Rose said.
He added industries such as agriculture, forestry, manufacturing and professional services could suffer, including from Trump’s plans to beef up the border between the U.S. and Canada.
Rose thinks the energy industry might get a boost from the Trump presidency.
“That would be a negative from the point of view of our initiatives here in the province of Alberta to try to diversify our economy away from energy,” Rose said.
Trump has promised to pursue the contentious Keystone XL pipeline, which would link the province to key refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Keystone could proceed
Eight months ago, University of Alberta business professor Richard Dixon reported to the Alberta Energy Regulator on the potential impact of each presidential candidate’s policy position.
Trump’s support of Keystone increases the likelihood the project will proceed, but considering the other pillars of his platform, there will likely be a price tag, Dixon said Wednesday.
“It would keep the bitumen price that we receive lower because we’d be paying more in export costs to the United States,” Dixon said.
‘It would keep the bitumen price that we receive lower because we’d be paying more in export costs to the United States’ – Richard Dixon, University of Alberta business professor
David MacLean, president of the Alberta division of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said if the pipeline does get the green light, Alberta’s energy industry will benefit. Of the roughly 8,000 manufacturers, many work with the energy industry, meaning there will be a market for their goods.
Although Trump’s comments about protecting the U.S. domestic economy raised a red flag for MacLean, “we’re confident that on the balance of things, the North American Free Trade Agreement is an exceptional deal for Canada and the United States,” he said.
“If it is reopened for negotiation, as happens from time to time, there could even be opportunities for Alberta manufacturers.”
Premier Rachel Notley vowed to protect the province’s interests.
“We will work closely with the government of Canada and with other provinces to defend Canadian interests, and of course Albertan interests, during any review of our trade arrangements with the United States, including any review or negotiations of NAFTA,” Notley said.
Iveson said he’s waiting to see what happens next.
“Anything is possible from here. People can change. People can rebuild,” he said.