Canada's premiers anxious to maintain trade links with U.S. — no matter who wins the presidency

Canada's premiers won't say publicly if they'd prefer U.S. President Joe Biden or former president Donald Trump to return to the White House, but they are cheering for one outcome this November — the survival of the Canada-U.S. trading relationship.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said Tuesday there was "significant discussion" of the upcoming presidential election when he and his counterparts gathered behind closed doors in Halifax for the annual summer gathering of the Council of the Federation.

The U.S. is Canada's largest trading partner and more than $3.6 billion in goods and services cross the border daily.

"The discussion is around how we maintain that relationship," said Houston, chair of this summer's meeting. "There is a broader picture at play and it's something that we're all mindful of."

Houston said provincial officials who travel to the U.S. on trade missions already meet with both Democrats and Republicans as "a matter of course." He said to expect a renewed sales push on Canada's critical mineral resources and energy capacity when Canadian trade teams next meet with governors and other U.S. officials.

"These are things that no matter who, no matter the administration, they are important to the United States and we can provide them in this country," he said. "We need to keep focused on that."

The trading relationship has been in a precarious situation before.

Trump famously campaigned in 2016 on ripping up the former North American Free Trade Agreement, setting off panic across multiple levels of government.

While Canadian officials successfully renegotiated the North American trade agreement with Trump's administration, saving Canada's most important trade deal was never a sure thing.

The winner in November will lead the U.S. through the upcoming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), scheduled for 2026.

While the Biden administration staunchly opposes almost every word out of Trump's mouth, it has maintained most of his trade policies.

"We're facing a lot of challenges in the country as a new president will be elected," said Ontario Premier Doug Ford Tuesday.

Houston said the premiers also discussed Canada's obligations to NATO. Just last week, the Liberal government announced that it hopes to meet NATO's military investment benchmark of two per cent of alliance members' gross domestic products by 2032.

"How would certain U.S. administrations look on Canada if they weren't to meet those obligations?" said Houston.