While residents in the Peace Country may not have a vote, one expert says the decisions made by the American electorate on Tuesday could have a big impact in our neck of the woods.
Political Science Instructor at Grande Prairie Regional College Dawn Moffat McMaster says the U.S. is facing a time of major upheaval. However, because they’re such a major trading partner and an important insulant for Canada, she notes the election’s reaches far behind the borders of our southern neighbour.
Moffat McMaster says for those in the oil and gas sector, there are potential positives and negatives regardless of who wins.
“In a Trump presidency, he has said he would approve the Keystone XL pipeline, and I think that would be welcomed by a lot the industry in Alberta, but he’s also likely to continue the trend of deregulation you see in the U.S,” she says. “That could mean significantly increased U.S. output, which is an issue in terms of competition for us.”
She says the messaging from former Vice President Joe Biden is far less positive for the oil and gas industry on the surface, but he could face difficulties when it comes to the KXL.
“He said he would cancel the Keystone XL pipeline. Now there are questions as to whether he is going to have the political leverage he would need to do that; it’s not something he could do on his own.”
“It’s not good for Canada because of the relationship that we particularly have with the U.S.,” she adds. “The less stability there makes for a lot of uncertainty here.”
Moffat McMaster says another thread that Grande Prairie residents should keep an eye on is the long term effects of the trade of commodities. She believes the days following the election, and the subsequent aftermath, could be indicative of what is to come.
“In terms of our consumer goods, we do a fair bit of importing, but also in terms of food, so it’s going to be interesting to watch what the system looks like there, and to see if the election brings this stability, or a sort of cooling of the political temperature down there or not.”
The latest aggregate polling compiled by 538 shows Biden with a lead over President Donald Trump by an average of 8.4 points nationally as of November 2nd.
