Donald Trump was officially sworn in as President of the United States today, and if the 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods he’s proposed comes to fruition, jobs in several key Alberta industries could take a massive hit.
Hundreds of thousands of jobs in the province are supported by trade with the US across key industries like energy, manufacturing, and transportation, according to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Canada-US Trade Tracker.
“Alberta is one of the major drivers of Canada-US trade,” Andrew DiCapua, senior economist at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, told Daily Hive.
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Exports to the US support just over 356,000 jobs: 185,000 in mining, oil, and gas, 75,000 in manufacturing, and 34,000 in transportation and warehousing. That’s roughly one-third of the population of Calgary or Edmonton.
The province’s top five export products to the US are mineral products, chemicals, live animals and products, plastics and rubber, and machinery and electrical equipment.
Crude oil makes up more than 70% of Alberta’s exports to the US, totalling over $133 billion, which DiCapua said demonstrated Alberta’s “essential” role in North American energy.
“One quick look at this data and you can see how, on both sides of the border, we stand to lose jobs, investment, and decades of integrated and shared success.”
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
“Take Illinois, for example — not only is it Alberta’s largest trading partner, but it is also a key refining hub for Canadian crude.”
According to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, nearly $188 billion in goods is traded between Canada and the US.
“The facts are clear: tariffs disrupt trade and harm both Canadians and Americans,” DiCapua warned.