In the latest episode of Trade Dispute: Impact on the Prairies, we look at Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pitch for Canada as a safe harbour for global capital, billions of dollars in new Prairie investments and growing anxiety in U.S. border states. We also hear how Regina’s Rebellion Brewing has successfully shifted its supply chain away from the United States.
Podcasts are available now on GX94, Yorkton, or 620 CKRM, Regina, hosted by Steven Wilson. Or read the transcript below:
Steven Wilson — Welcome to Trade Dispute: Impact on the Prairies. I'm Steven Wilson. The Canada Investment Summit has wrapped up in Toronto, with Prime Minister Mark Carney using the global stage to emphasize economic diversification away from the United States, pitching Canada as a safe harbour for international capital.
Carney announced a new corporate tax deduction, allowing companies to immediately deduct 100 per cent of the cost of new investments. He also revealed plans to open Canada's four major airports to foreign investment through long-term concessions to raise tens of billions of dollars, while keeping the land and assets under public ownership. Carney criticized Washington's increasingly zero-sum approach to trade, but noted Ottawa is ready to negotiate when the United States acts as an equal partner respecting Canadian sovereignty.
The summit showcased nearly $500 billion in domestic opportunities across 167 major projects. Manitoba highlighted a $1.89-billion renewable fuel production facility and plans to triple critical mineral production utilizing the Port of Churchill for global export. Saskatchewan was spotlighted with the expansion of the $52-billion artificial intelligence data centre south of Regina.
In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith pitched 34 major projects focusing on agriculture and critical minerals. As John Tupper reports, the Canadian energy sector is also securing massive new financial commitments and regulatory adjustments.
John Tupper — Major banks are stepping up with investment in Canada's energy sector. TD is committing $150 billion across sectors including energy and resources, while BMO is targeting $70 billion in areas that include energy, transportation and infrastructure. Scotiabank is committing more than $100 billion to Canadian growth sectors, with additional infrastructure funding coming from CIBC, Sun Life and Power Sustainable.
Ottawa remains committed to a one-million-barrel-per-day pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast, and approval may come easier now. The federal government has removed interprovincial and international pipelines from the jurisdiction of Bill C-69. Future pipeline assessments will instead be handled by the Canadian Energy Regulator, which Ottawa says will simplify approvals by putting responsibility with a single federal agency.
In Fort McMurray for GX94 News, I'm John Tupper.
Steven Wilson — South of the border, the latest round of American tariffs on a small subset of Canadian goods officially took effect yesterday. The broader U.S. ban on Canadian dairy, motorcycles and most alcoholic beverages will hit on Sept. 29. Despite the looming export ban on alcohol, many local craft brewers are unbothered.
Mark Heise is the owner of Rebellion Brewing in Regina. He says the initial panic from a year and a half ago forced local businesses to innovate, shifting their supply chains and packaging entirely within Canada.
Mark Heise — You know, I think when the whole tariff thing began just a year and a half ago or whatever it was, it certainly created a lot of fear and uncertainty. And, you know, most producers in our industry here in Canada, we've managed to shift away almost anything that we were sourcing out of the U.S. We're now sourcing in Canada. Other operations have set up in Canada.
You know, we used to buy the little holders that hold like a four-pack or a six-pack together. There's now a supplier in Quebec that's making those. So, you know, everyone just shifted to them from the previous supplier that was based in California.
So everyone's really shifted away and you just kind of move on. And, you know, honestly, I think it's a plus to see Canadians, you know, being innovative and pivoting and working really hard just to make things work.
Steven Wilson — With producers finding new domestic partners, Heise says the trade dispute has ultimately sparked a renewed sense of pride among Canadian consumers.
Mark Heise — Yeah, you know, whatever the slogans have been in the past, whether it's support local and you've heard the elbows up and all this sort of stuff, you know, whatever it is, you know, Canada is producing some of the best beers in the world, all sorts of great things that are made here are the best in the world. And, you know, it's just great to see people rallying around that and supporting more and more.
Steven Wilson — While Canadian businesses adapt, the trade fallout is causing deep anxiety in the United States. Roxanne Brown, the international president of the United Steelworkers, is calling for a return to the negotiating table, bluntly stating the escalating conflict hurts [sentence incomplete in original].
The dispute even spilled onto the stage at the Emmy Awards, with actress Sally Field taking a jab at President Donald Trump's recent tariff on foreign-produced movies, pointedly thanking Canada during her speech. Meanwhile, border states are bracing for devastation.
An economic analysis from Austin Milks with the political group No Labels shows North Dakota is likely the most vulnerable state in the American trade war, as the state relies on Canada for 80 per cent of its exports. Acute concerns over disrupted cross-border travel and trade are also mounting in Montana. We will continue to follow the economic and political fallout on both sides of the border.
I'm Steven Wilson, and thank you for listening to Trade Dispute: Impact on the Prairies. Local news delivered right to your smartphone with the GX94 app and available anytime at SaskToday.ca and GX94Radio.com.
