For more than a year, Americans and Canadians were bombarded with rhetorics of fear, divisiveness, and isolation by an outsider candidate in the Republican primaries, who would ultimately become the successor to President Barack Obama. Despite the dismal result and its potentially negative impact on the political future of our nation’s closest ally, Donald Trump’s victory brings an unexpected opportunity to Canada.
After every U.S. presidential election, partisan supporters of the losing candidates often jokingly proclaim that they will be moving to Canada—however, the results of the most recent election have led to serious discussion surrounding this proposal. In fact, Canada’s Immigration and Citizenship website crashed on election night because of the volume of web traffic from the United States. There is an increased likelihood that Americans will genuinely wish to escape the emerging climate of hatred and bigotry brought on by the campaign of the president-elect.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) states that “Canada needs to boost innovation and human capital to sustain living standards.” A wave of highly-skilled middle-class workers from the United States would represent an opportunity for increased overall productivity to improve our lagging economy. Canada can capitalize on American migration by appealing to disenfranchised citizens, especially younger ones, who seek to avoid the hostile political environment in the U.S.
Economists agree that Trump’s economic and trade policies may have negative impacts on economic stability and national security. Ironically, these consequences represent a golden opportunity for the Canadian government to promote the advantages of foreign direct investment by American companies into Canada. Amid the anti-globalist rhetoric and the looming threat of isolationism, Canada can market itself to American businesses as a bastion of economic security and a more favourable venue for investment compared to the U.S. During the Canadian federal election campaign, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to lowering the small business tax rate to nine per cent. If implemented, this policy change may incentivize small business owners in the US to move their enterprises to Canada.
In addition to increased US internet traffic to Canadian immigration and job websites, the Ottawa Citizen reports that traffic to real estate sites has more than tripled in the 24 hours following the election. A wave of American immigrants would also be advantageous to the Canadian housing market. There would be an increase in demand for houses, which would be reflected in rising property values. Jobs may be created in the real estate and mortgage industries to respond to the surge in prospective homeowners in Canada, as well as in the construction industry due to the demand for houses.
Foreign trade and business with the United States will likely suffer under the president-elect, but that does not mean that Americans themselves must feel the burden of the next four years. Trudeau should welcome American nationals and businesses with open arms, as it is in our best interest to capitalize on the political crisis south of the border. Canada can become a stronger global power if we can capitalize on the “moving to Canada” mentality.
