EDMONTON, Alberta, Nov. 11 (UPI) — Canada’s oil sector looks forward to strong ties to the U.S. market under a Trump administration that respects all trade agreements, a provincial leader said.
World leaders and world markets are reacting to a U.S. government operating under the guidance of a politically untested Donald Trump. Overseas, British leaders offered mixed support, while the French president said he was concerned by an expected period of uncertainty.
Rachel Notley, the head of the government in the oil-rich province of Alberta, said strong links to the U.S. energy sector meant strong Canadian links to the world.
“We must continue to work to diversity Canada’s energy markets, and to build trading relationships with more than one buyer,” she said. “For that reason, a Canadian pipeline to tidewater remains an important priority for Alberta.”
Outgoing President Barack Obama shelved the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, which would run from Alberta to the southern U.S. coast. Republican Trump vowed to approve that pipeline if elected.
A similar network, the Dakota Access pipeline, has been met with sometimes violent opposition from demonstrators in the United States. There are already several pipelines that cross the Canadian border into the United States.
Canada is the top oil exporter to the United States, though parts of both economies have been damaged by the impacts of a lower price for crude oil. Alberta has focused on adding more low-carbon options to its economy during the latter half of the year and Notley herself is seen as an advocate for a low-carbon economy, as is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Tim Gray, the executive director of Environmental Defense Canada, said Trump’s pledge to abandon the Paris climate agreement was unlikely to amount to much because of the time it takes to leave a global treaty.
“If the international community won’t make President Trump pause, the economic opportunities that come from clean technologies, including renewable energy, should,” he added.
Notley, meanwhile, reminded the incoming president of the multilateral economic benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement, another measure Trump promised to reconfigure once in office.
“We will work closely with the government of Canada and with other provinces to defend Canadian interests during any review of our trading arrangements with the United States, including any review or renegotiation of NAFTA,” she said.
