Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
International

In 2017, Canadian Economy Will Get Its First Taste Of The Trump Era

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 22 Dec, 2016 11:35 AM
  • In 2017, Canadian Economy Will Get Its First Taste Of The Trump Era
OTTAWA — The Canadian economy exits 2016 with bruises from the still-tough adjustment to weak crude prices and scars from the devastating wildfires that singed the oil patch.
 
It enters 2017 with lingering challenges and a potential new obstacle that could attract more attention than the rest: the economic unknowns of a Donald Trump presidency.
 
While it remains to be seen what will become of the U.S. president-elect's vows in areas like taxation, trade and investment, their implementation could have significant impacts for Canada.
 
Canadian policy-makers say they will closely follow developments after Trump takes office Jan. 20.
 
For now, decision-makers like federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau are reserving judgment on how changes would affect the country.
 
"Looking towards next year, the change in the U.S. will of course present us with a different economic environment — it's too early to have a clear view of the impacts," Morneau said in a recent interview.
 
"But what I can assure you ... is that we're working to understand the new administration's economic policies and to present how we can work together with them to enhance their growth and our growth; because our view is that we do better if we are open to helping others."
 
For example, Trump has vowed to drop the tax rate for top-income earners by six per cent and by three per cent for middle-income earners. 
 
He promised to bring the U.S. corporate rate, one of the highest in the world, down to 15 per cent from 39 per cent. Such a cut would make the U.S. corporate rate far lower than the average effective rate in Canada, where it's about 26 per cent when federal and provincial rates are combined.
 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked in a recent roundtable interview with The Canadian Press about the potential impact of Trump's promised tax cuts on Canada's efforts to bring in foreign investment dollars.
 
"Let's not respond too much to hypotheticals," Trudeau said.
 
"Obviously, you have to be thoughtful about potential paths, but I'm not going to react to an administration that's not actually in place yet."
 
Trudeau said while taxes are always a consideration, he argued that Canada is attractive to investors for other reasons, including its well-educated workforce, openness to immigration and stability.  
 
University of Calgary tax-policy expert Jack Mintz has said Canada's ability to lure business investment and top talent would be threatened if the U.S. moves ahead with Trump's vows to significantly cut tax rates for U.S. corporations and for the highest income earners.
 
Trump has also made it clear he wants Buy American rules in his planned $1-trillion infrastructure program, which could leave out Canadian companies.
 
To add to the unknowns for Canada, Trump has called for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
 
But some experts say the expectations of Trump's business-friendly promises are poised to lift the U.S. economy, which would help Canada.
 
Dan North, a senior economist for financial services firm Euler Hermes North America, said U.S. business confidence has climbed since the election, in large part due to the prospect of corporate tax reductions. As a result, North said his company bumped up its 2017 U.S. growth projection to 2.4 per cent from 2.1 per cent. 
 
"We have a fair amount of confidence that we're looking at a pretty solid year in the U.S. next year, which of course should translate into higher demand for Canadian exports," North said.
 
Former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge agreed in a recent interview that he expected faster post-election growth in the U.S. to be a positive for the Canadian economy over the short term.
 
Over the medium and longer term, however, Dodge thinks Canada could struggle in areas like trade, attracting investment and, in particular, tax competitiveness.
 
"It's an enormous challenge, I think, for Ottawa," he said.
 
"It is a very unfortunate problem that the minister of finance will have to deal with."
 
In 2017, the central bank will remain focused on whether Canada's disappointing export performance can show real signs of life, current governor Stephen Poloz said earlier this month, during his final news conference of 2016. 
 
Poloz said the bank will also look for the economy to continue to adjust to the sting of low oil prices and for the expected pickup in U.S. growth.
 
When asked, he declined to discuss what new policies might be introduced in the U.S. and how they could affect Canada. He did, however, say that uncertainty among companies expanded during the election campaign and he believes that sentiment remains "undiminished."
 
Still, after what Poloz called a "challenging year" in 2016, he sounded cautiously optimistic for 2017.
 
"We have enough confidence that we're on track, but we need to continue to monitor that," he said. "Of course, the economy and the world economy have shown the capacity to disappoint in the past."

MORE International ARTICLES

US Trucking Firm To Pay $260,000 To Sikh Drivers As Damages

US Trucking Firm To Pay $260,000 To Sikh Drivers As Damages
Four Sikh truck drivers in the US have settled a discrimination case against an American trucking giant which will pay $260,000 in damages for denying them employment after they refused to cut their hair and remove their turbans for the company's drug tests.

US Trucking Firm To Pay $260,000 To Sikh Drivers As Damages

17-Year-Old Sikh Student Shot Dead At His California Home's Garage

17-Year-Old Sikh Student Shot Dead At His California Home's Garage
Family of Gurnoor Singh Nahal, who was a high-school student, says he was coming home from work when he was shot.

17-Year-Old Sikh Student Shot Dead At His California Home's Garage

B.C. Home Sales Slide In October, But Analyst Sees Strength In Some Regions

B.C. Home Sales Slide In October, But Analyst Sees Strength In Some Regions
VANCOUVER — Figures from the British Columbia Real Estate Association show October was another challenging month for housing sales in some parts of British Columbia, while other regions prospered.

B.C. Home Sales Slide In October, But Analyst Sees Strength In Some Regions

Pak Gurdwara Reopens In Guru Nanak's Birthplace

Pak Gurdwara Reopens In Guru Nanak's Birthplace
A pre-Partition gurdwara in Nankana Sahib — the birthplace of Guru Nanak — has been reopened in Pakistan's Punjab province.

Pak Gurdwara Reopens In Guru Nanak's Birthplace

Trump's First Week: 12 Developments Since His Election Shocker

Trump's First Week: 12 Developments Since His Election Shocker
Donald Trump has sat down for his first interviews since becoming U.S. president-elect, has shared his views on his state of mind since the stunning victory, and made announcements on his plans for the country.

Trump's First Week: 12 Developments Since His Election Shocker

Many Indian-Americans Could Be Part Of Donald Trump Administration: Top Republican Leader

Many Indian-Americans Could Be Part Of Donald Trump Administration: Top Republican Leader
Many prominent Indian-Americans could be part of Donald Trump's administration, a senior Republican leader has said, asserting that the president-elect has a "history of hiring the best talent".

Many Indian-Americans Could Be Part Of Donald Trump Administration: Top Republican Leader