Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is promising to present a united “Team Canada” front and to work together with the incoming Trump administration to avoid the blanket tariffs.
The leaders of major Canadian provinces like Ontario, Quebec and Alberta have urged Trudeau to act quickly on these demands, and on Wednesday, Trudeau held an emergency meeting with provincial and territorial leaders to discuss how to move forward.
Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta, said her province will be “working aggressively” in the coming months to connect with US counterparts and to drill home the message that a strong partnership with Canada would be of benefit to the US and its energy security.
She said that in her view, Trump “and the tens of millions of Americans who voted for him have valid concerns” related border security.
She and other premiers, Smith said, have asked Trudeau to come up with a comprehensive border security plan.
Smith also said the province is exploring the option of creating specialised sheriff units to patrol its own shared border with the US state of Montana.