One of my duties in the House of Commons is to serve as a vice-chair of the Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group. Therefore, I was very interested in the recent midterm elections in the U.S. and how they will affect Canada.

The newly elected Republicans are generally more supportive of free trade with Canada. However, the new Congress is not going to be automatically easier for Canada to deal with on trade issues.

Most American congressmen rarely think about Canada when it comes to trade policy. Generally, when American congressmen deal with trade issues, they tend to think about China or Mexico and forget all about Canada.

That’s why the work that MPs from all parties do to foster one-on-one relationships with American congressman is so important. We build relationships and educate them as to the importance of Canada to the American economy.  We do this work to protect Canadian jobs, Canadian business and Canadian trade.

I’m Brad Trost, your Member of Parliament in Saskatoon-Humboldt. You can call my office in Saskatoon at 975-6133 or drop by our two offices to visit: Saskatoon Monday-Friday or Humboldt Tuesday and Wednesday. I always appreciate your feedback.