>> THEY REALLY WANT TO EXPLORE THE IDEA OF AN ECONOMIC UNION. CANADA. YOU THINK ABOUT 40 MILLION PEOPLE THE SIZE OF CALIFORNIA UNLIMITED RESOURCES UNLIMITED POWER UNLIMITED GAS, UNLIMITED WATER, LIMITED NUMBER, UNLIMITED EVERYTHING, THEY ARE NOT STUPID THEY THINK WAIT A SECOND WHAT IF WE HAVE FREE TRADE EAST-WEST NORTH-SOUTH AND WE PUT OUR RESOURCES INSTEAD OF SQUABBLING ON HER OWN BORDER BETWEEN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES AND PUT THE MONEY INTO PROTECTING OURSELVES AGAINST THE CHINESE AND RUSSIANS UP NORTH AND THAT ALL MAKES SENSE TO CANADIANS.
EDWARD: THAT WAS KEVIN O'LEARY ON FOX BUSINESS, THE ALBERTA PREMIER THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY BARRIERS FOR CANDIDATE TO JOIN THE UNITED STATES IN TERMS OF STATEHOOD BUT WHY DO YOU THINK THE IDEA OF STATEHOOD IS RESONATING WITH CANADIANS. >> I THINK IT'S RESONATING WITH AMERICANS MORE THAN CANADIANS, THERE IS A NUMBER OF CANADIANS WERE CONCERNED BUT STARTED OFF AS A JOKE THAT SEEMS TO KEEP COMING BACK AND BACK. WHAT CANADIANS REALLY WANT IS A PRESERVATION OF INCREDIBLE TRADING AND DEFENSE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAD WITH THE AMERICANS SINCE OUR FOUNDING WE ARE THE LARGEST TRADING PARTNER WITH THE UNITED STATES WE BUY MORE GOODS FROM THE UNITED STATES FROM ANYONE ELSE, MEXICO IS SECOND IN MORE GOODS THAN GERMANY, ITALY, FRANCE, THE UK AND VIETNAM COMBINE WE HAVE A VERY STRONG RELATIONSHIP, WHAT WERE WORRIED ABOUT IS 25% TARIFF THAT COULD DISRUPT THE CROSS-BORDER TRADE FLOW I THINK THERE'S SOME PEOPLE PUTTING FORWARD IDEAS ON HOW THAT MIGHT BE RESOLVED BUT THE WAY TO RESOLVE IS TO HAVE KNOWN TARIFFS THAT WE HAD IN THE PAST AND GET BACK TO TALKING ABOUT THE OTHER TRADE IRRITANTS THAT ARE CAUSING THE INCOMING PRESIDENT TO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT KIDDED HIS PARTNER.
EDWARD: YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE BORDER BETWEEN U. S. AND CANADA THERE'S A $1.
3 BILLION SECURITY PROPOSAL ON THE CANADIAN SIDE LAST FRIDAY THEY MET WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP AS WELL AS THE BORDERS ARE OUT OF THE MEETING ONE OFFICIAL IS SAYING PRESIDENT-ELECT IS MORE FOCUSED AWAY FROM THE BORDER BUT TO THE TRADE DEFICIT OF U. S. CANADA.
WHAT YOU MAKE OF ALL OF. >> IF YOU LOOK BACK A FEW YEARS AND AROUND 2015 CANADA HAD THE TRADE DEFICIT WITH THE U. S.
, THAT IS A DEMONSTRATION OF HOW BALANCED OUR TRADE IS WE HAVE A DEFICIT AND SOMETIMES YOU DO. OFTEN IT'S TO COMMODITY PRICES AS WE KNOW IN THE LAST TEN YEARS COMMODITY PRICES HAVE GONE UP AND THAT EXPLAINS MOST OF THE DIFFERENCE AND IT'S BENEFICIAL TO AMERICANS. AMERICA IS LOOKING FOR CRITICAL MINERALS, HOW WILL THEY MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE ENOUGH OIL AND GAS TO MAKE GAS PRICES LOW WHERE WILL THEY GET FOOD PRODUCT OR PROCESS AND SHIP AROUND THE WORLD INCLUDING BACK TO US.
I WOULD SAY IF WE CAN TAKE THE ISSUE OF COMMODITY PRICES OUT OF THE MIX WE HAVE WHAT IT IS THAT THE U. S. PRESIDENT IS LOOKING FOR IS A FAIR AND BALANCED TRADE RELATIONSHIP.
I THINK PERSONALLY THE PRESIDENT HAS GOOD REASON TO TURN HIS SITES TO OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT HAVE A MASSIVE TRADE DEFICIT WERE NOT BUYING THE EQUIVALENT AMOUNT OF AMERICAN GOODS AND THAT SEEMS WERE HIS ISSUE LIES, CANADA WILL CONTINUE TO BE REALLY GREAT TRADING PARTNER WITH THE UNITED STATES AND THAT BALANCED TRADE IS WHAT OTHER COUNTRY SHOULD BE ASPIRING TO. >> CANADA'S AMBASSADOR TO WASHINGTON SAYS THE TRADE DEFICIT WAS 75 BILLION BUT A THIRD OF THAT IS ENERGY EXPORTS WHERE THE U. S.
IN THE DEFICIT LOOKS BAD WHEN OIL PRICES REMAIN HIGH CANADA HAS ONE OF THE U. S. CLOSEST ALLIES.
THE PRIME MINISTER IS FACING AN ELECTION IN 2025. AS ALL OF THIS READING HIS REELECTION CHANCES? >> MOST DEFINITELY.
YOU'RE BEGINNING TO SEE HIS OWN PARTY IS CALLING FOR AN ELECTION OR FOR HIM TO RESIGN. I'VE BEEN CALLING FOR THE ELECTION FOR SOME TIME WERE NOW WITH THE UNITED STATES AND THE INAUGURATION JANUARY 20 FACING A PRESIDENT HAS A FOUR-YEAR MANDATE WE CERTAINLY NEED TO HAVE A LEADER WHO WAS AN EQUAL MANDATE SO THESE NEGOTIATIONS CAN CONTINUE AND THE CREDIBILITY OF THE TABLE, THERE NEEDS TO BE AN ELECTION SOONER RATHER THAN LATER AND I HOPE WE DON'T END UP SEEING A MASSIVE TARIFF IN THE BEGINNING OF THE TRADE WAR IN THE MEANTIME THAT WOULD BE TERRIBLE FOR CANADIAN CONSUMERS IN AMERICAN CONSUMERS. TO YOUR POINT OF ENERGY PART OF THE BENEFIT FROM HAVING A CANADIAN ENERGY IF WE HAD A 25% TARIFF IT BE A GALLON MORE AND I DON'T THINK CONSUMERS WANT THAT.
>> I WANT TO GET THIS INCOME YOU COMING TO THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO BE HERE FOR THAT. >> OF ALL OF THE TRADING PARTNERS WE ARE PROVINCE INSTEAD OF ALBERTA HAS 180 "SPORT A TRADE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES.
