OTTAWA — With Donald Trump the new president-elect after Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election, Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski says “It’s a different world today.”
And while Canada and the U.S. have had their ups and downs throughout history, Powlowski said there are many reasons the two countries can continue to have a good relationship.
“The United States is our biggest trading partner,” he said. “They are our biggest ally.”
Powlowski noted it’s important for both Canadians and Americans that the relationship between the two countries remains favourable.
“It's important for the economy. It's important for the jobs," he said. "We will continue our good relationship with the United States, with the Trump administration. Our (Liberal) government has some experience with that. Our government was in power under the previous Trump administration. And I think it managed to get a fair bit done and managed to work in a lot of ways with the United States.”
The MP said Canadians should give Trump and the U.S. a chance.
“Let’s work together,” he said. “We've always lived beside this much bigger, much more powerful neighbour to the south of us. We've managed over the years to get along and find common ground.”
In July, Powlowski penned an open letter to David L. Cohen, ambassador from the U.S. to Canada, expressing a desire to work with the U.S. government on a number of issues: repairing or replacing the Fort Frances-International Falls international bridge, flooding preparedness in the Rainy River Basin, and the perception among Canadian outfitters that U.S. fishing tourers are violating rules when fishing along the Ontario-Minnesota border.
Powlowski said he doesn’t believe the Republican administration would be concerned with interfering with the progress on any of these issues.
“I doubt that the change of leadership is going to change the local politics,” he said. “I think those are local issues. I don't really foresee that changing and I think all politicians of all political stripes have an interest in acting in the best interests of their local constituents.”
Looking beyond Canada’s relationship with the U.S., Powlowski said he hopes Trump will continue American support of the international legal order through the United Nations.
“The United States has always been the major champion of the international legal order of globalization,” said Powlowski. “The United Nations is centred in New York City, the UN Charter was dropped in San Francisco and certainly the United States has always been a big supporter of that international legal order.”
Globally, Powlowski said there is a shift with many countries leaning away from an international approach and towards a focus on themselves. However, he personally doesn’t see the future of the world heading towards protectionism.
“There are people, including within our own country who want to isolate us, who want to distance ourselves from the United Nations, who don't want global trade,” said Powlowski. “I totally think that's the wrong way to go and I'm absolutely certain in our long-term that is not the way the world's going to end up in 50, 100, 200 years.”
“I think the previous course, towards breaking down barriers between countries towards acting in each other's best interests, will prevail,” he added.
