PM Trudeau tells Houston energy conference border tax would hurt both economies
HOUSTON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made it clear he is flatly against a proposed U.S. border adjustment tax, telling a global gathering of politicians and energy sector executives it would hurt the economy in both countries.
“Recognizing, of course, how much the Canadian economy depends on close collaboration and integration with the American economy, anything that creates impediments at the border — extra tariffs or new taxes — is something we’re concerned with,” Trudeau said Thursday night in Houston, Texas.
Trudeau came to the heart of the U.S. oil path to deliver a keynote address to the annual CERAWeek conference — a first for a Canadian prime minister — that attracts legislators, energy executives, innovators and experts from around the world.
His comments on the importance of avoiding a levy at the border — as proposed by Republican leadership in the U.S. — came in a question-and-answer session following a speech where Trudeau make the case for investing in Canadian natural resources, even while his Liberal government is preparing for a future without fossil fuels.