At first glance, there seems to be a lot more separating Ontario and Alberta than the 3,000 kilometers (2,000 miles) between the two provinces.  

But at the third annual US-Canada Summit hosted by BMO and Eurasia Group, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith each sat down for separate Q&As, and made clear they’re both working towards a shared goal to foster a stronger and mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S.  

During the conversation with Ontario and Alberta, Focus on Building Mutually Beneficial Relationships with the U.S., Chief Financial Correspondent at CTV News, Ford talked about wanting to cooperate more with the U.S. to forge closer economic ties, but also maintained Ontario’s position of relative strength. “We’re an economic powerhouse,” he said. “We buy more products from the U.S. than China, Japan, Korea, the UK, and France. We do US$356 billion in two-way trade here in Ontario alone.” 

Overall, Ontario is the largest customer for goods from 15 states and the second-largest customer for a dozen others. “They need us, and we need them,” he said. “Let’s work collaboratively.” 

The Alberta Premier agreed, noting that Canada has a lot to offer the U.S. through trade that could benefit both countries. Canada has the raw materials, critical minerals and energy to help the U.S. retain its economic dominance, she noted.  

Selling more energy and resources to the U.S. will keep prices low for consumers while enabling American companies to build goods that Canadians will buy back, she explained. More importantly, Canadians will purchase those American goods at a volume greater than any other country in the world, she said.  

The message about Canada having what the U.S. needs was a strong theme for both Premiers. Canadian oil, potash, uranium, nickel and lumber are just a few of the commodities that are important for the U.S.  

“You know, 60% of the high-grade nickel the U.S. uses for its military comes from Ontario,” explained Ford. “We're building large-scale nuclear capacity of 16,000 more megawatts on their grid.”  

Ford also highlighted the significance of the auto sector, with trade benefiting both nations. He noted that Canada buys more cars from the U.S. than it produces. He stressed the impact the U.S. tariffs on autos have already cost the auto sector billions. 

While much of the conversation focused on the U.S., both Ford and Smith also discussed the importance of tearing down barriers that restrict trade within Canada. Currently, Ontario’s trade within Canada is worth more than C$300 billion, but Ford expects that figure could rise, given that the province has signed deals with all the other provinces and territories. 

“It's going to add about 60% to the GDP and about C$200 billion of additional trade amongst us,” he noted. 

For Ford, the priority is to consider what trade will look like 10 or 15 years down the road.