With Mark Carney and his Liberal Party retaining their control of Canada’s Parliament, some Niagara Region leaders believe two things:
First, Carney will be a tough negotiator against President Donald Trump and his tariffs -- along with his desire to make Canada the 51st state. Both issues dominated the Canadian election cycle, and the Southern Ontario industries like tourism, hospitality, and manufacturing
A Harvard University graduate, Carney has a master’s and a doctorate degree from the University of Oxford. In fact, he is just the second Canadian prime minister to have a PhD.
Niagara developer Tony Annunziata thinks Carney’s experience in the public and private sectors could be a major plus.
“The current situation certainly makes people feel uneasy. Canadians feel uneasy going into the United States. Americans probably feel that easy coming into Canada, and it's unfortunate because it's always been a great region on both sides to experience culture and the benefits that both areas have to offer,” Annunziata said.
Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop says trade and tariffs are a key issue in the Niagara Region that includes his town as well as St. Catharine's and Niagara Falls. In Fort Erie alone, there are more than 50 companies whose livelihood is dependent on cross-border trade with U.S. firms including some in the Buffalo Niagara region.
Redekop says he hopes to have a discussion with Carney about those concerns. The two will meet later this spring during an Ontario municipalities conference in Ottawa.
“It is an exciting time. It's a new leader, it’s a different perspective and a new opportunity,” Redekop said. “It'll be interesting to see how the parties in Parliament cooperate and collaborate to the extent that they can. I think the Canadians expect that they will. The one thing that I found in all the years that I've been the mayor is that people don't care about party politics. They care about whether the elected officials will work together to the benefit of the residents or the citizens.” Redekop said he thinks Carney may be able to break through Trump’s tariff policies once the two leaders meet face-to-face.
“We think that the new Prime Minister, will be able to stabilize some of that through his dealings with the U.S. administration, and that will be a benefit to all the communities along the border and all of the industries that are heavily engaged in trade and commerce with the United States,” Redekop said.
For now, for leaders like Redekop and Annunziata, it will be a matter of wait-and-see to get a handle on how the Carney-led government may aid Southern Ontario and the Niagara Region.
