Amid an increasingly heated game of tariff-related chicken, Canadian politicians are in Houston telling Americans they’re fed up — in the most stereotypically Canadian way possible.
“I don’t think friends do that to friends,” Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean said, speaking onstage Tuesday during a panel discussion at CERAWeek by S&P Global that also featured Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.
The trio of politicians were at the conference as the tariff fight heated up then cooled off within the course of a couple of hours. Ontario Premier Doug Ford had promised a 25 per cent surcharge on electricity imports to the United States, U.S. President Donald Trump fired back with staggering tariffs on steel and aluminum, and ultimately both parties pulled back and agreed to talk it out.
Is this enough to make Lecce mad?
No, but he is “offended,” he told CBC News in an interview following the panel discussion.
“I think about my own dad who immigrated through Ellis Island, New York,” Lecce said. “I mean, we are family and this is unjust.”
The terms “family” or “friends” were alternately and repeatedly used onstage to describe the relationship between Canada and the U.S.
While they agreed it’s normal to have disagreements in close relationships, Moe said, the “tariffs and escalating counter-tariffs [do] nothing to benefit the North American family.”
Some of the chaos was reflected in the stock market, where indexes plummeted on Tuesday before bouncing back slightly before the day’s end.
Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s energy and natural resources minister, who is also in Houston, struck a stern but polite tone about the tariff fight.
“The people of Canada expected their government was going to step up and respond. They’re not going to think their government is going to be a patsy and let the Americans do whatever they want,” he said.
On Tuesday, Wilkinson met face to face with U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
“I think we both left understanding a little bit more of the perspectives of the other side, and I’m hopeful that he will be a voice for trying to find ways to de-escalate and eventually get these tariffs removed,” Wilkinson told CBC News, referring to Wright’s career in the oilpatch, including projects in Alberta.
The White House had previously announced a 10 per cent tariff on imports of Canadian energy. However there has been confusion among some industry officials and analysts after tariff exemptions were made for products compliant with the current free-trade deal between the two countries.
The U.S. energy secretary was vague on the issue and would not provide details when pressed by reporters on Monday.
Wilkinson said on Tuesday that the bulk of Canadian oil and natural gas is now exempt from tariffs and also suggested trade relations have actually improved.
Canada’s never been more united: Lecce
As negotiations continue, the politicians on the ground in Houston said the tariff fight has made the relationship between Canadians stronger than ever.
Lecce said he’d never before seen Canadians so united and that the animosity with the U.S. has meant greater motivation to build new infrastructure and find new export markets.
“We almost needed this kick in the butt as a nation to realize that we have mass potential,” he said.
While in Texas, Lecce is meeting with his state-level counterparts in an effort to keep promoting the province’s nuclear industry amid the federal-level tumult.
Still, there were limits to that united front. Asked about how Mark Carney, the new federal Liberal leader and prime minister-designate, might respond in this fight, Alberta energy minister Jean said Carney can’t and shouldn’t do anything because he “has no mandate.”
“Both prime ministers are lame ducks,” he said, referring to Carney and outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau.
Ontario’s Ford is set to meet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday to negotiate changes to the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
While Canadians wait and see how the situation unfurls, Lecce said he expects the country will act by breaking down interprovincial trade barriers, pursuing trade missions beyond North America and attempting to build the kind of major infrastructure projects that hearken back to the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
“This is the moment for us to rise,” he said.
