The U.S. ambassador to Canada said Canadians should not judge the quality of American democracy regardless of whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump wins the presidency.
America has survived tough elections in the past, and remains prominent on the world stage more than 250 years since its founding, David Cohen told Global News on election night.
“I don’t think you can judge the quality of democracy by campaign rhetoric. You have to look more at governance and how people govern,” Cohen said Tuesday.
“I certainly don’t think you can judge the quality of democracy in any country based on the result, one election out of hundreds that are being held today.”
Cohen’s comments come as Canada closely watches how restrictive US economic protectionism could go in the next four years and – furthermore – how the next review of North American free trade might play out under a Trump or Harris administration.
Canada will almost certainly be keen to see whether Harris or Trump will be able to boost homebuilding and bring down house prices, which have risen sharply since 2020, and whether those ideas can be replicated here.
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Most of its domestic proposals, especially regarding tax breaks, require congressional approval — making Democratic control crucial to enacting its vision.
Canadian officials and researchers Also watching for Potential fallout from Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which likely won’t require congressional approval. Economists almost uniformly agree that tariffs ultimately raise prices for consumers, as companies look to offset the higher cost of importing.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce says $3.6 billion worth of goods and services cross the border between the United States and Canada every day.
“Any disruption to the cross-border supply chain has a significant impact on small businesses in Canada and the economy as a whole,” Yasmin Genette, vice-president of national affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, told Global News last month.
Cohen told Global News on Tuesday that he “holds back a little” when there is talk of a U.S. increase Protectionism.
“Whatever ‘Buy America’ or ‘Buy America’ policies exist, they exist in the face of the largest bilateral trade relationship in the world — and a bilateral trade relationship that is the envy of the world,” he said.
“The extraordinary nature of the trade relationship between the United States and Canada… is very likely to continue… regardless of who the next president of the United States is.”
– With files from Sean Boynton
&Copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
