Earlier this month the Canadian Chamber of Commerce released a report ranking Calgary as the second most vulnerable city to potential tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump. Alberta’s economy is heavily reliant on exports. It may be surprising, but Alberta’s biggest trading partner is not Canada but the United States. Alberta sends 89% of its exports to the US. That’s huge. It is even larger for Calgary. For Calgary, 96% of its economic output—worth $119 billion annually—are goods exported to the US—mostly oil, natural gas, and beef. With Calgary’s economic engine firmly connected to the United States, tariffs could have a disastrous effect.
This is why Albertans are frustrated when the provinces in Central Canada adamantly refuse—even with looming tariffs—to partner with Alberta so that there is inter-provincial trade. Money flows easily from the west to east in equalization payments and taxes, but no oil or natural gas. And it is not just energy that faces barriers in Canada. Though Alberta is the largest producer of beef in Canada, beef exports are sent to the United States, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea, but not Ontario and Quebec.[1] Central Canada profits from these industries but it refuses to trade with Alberta directly. To make matters worse, Central Canada also refuses to allow Alberta’s energy to access world markets. As I argued in an earlier article, I believe it is time for Alberta to discuss independence and seek a new deal.
Tariffs or No Tariffs, We’re Still in Trouble
Many Canadians are angered and frustrated at the US President for threatening tariffs. However, one must remember that even if tariffs are not imposed, the US is planning to become an economic powerhouse by ramping up American energy production and manufacturing. Part of this plan is to reduce taxes for businesses that make their products in the US. Even without tariffs, larger Canadian businesses may head south of the border to take advantage of doing business without the heavy tax burden in Canada.
When I worked as a software developer in the oil and gas sector, Encana—a portmanteau of “energy” and “Canada”—was the big player. It was Canada’s most valuable company. It built Calgary’s iconic crescent-shaped skyscraper, the Bow. It is now no more, having moved to the US and changed its name. While the factors are many, one of the companies founders, blames the Trudeau government’s policies which land locked LNG and stopped other ways Alberta could get its energy to market.
In 2018, the Alberta government commissioned three experts to report on the future of the province’s oil and gas industry. They concluded, “Our dominant export market is now our primary competitor, and Western Canadian gas will struggle to retain, let alone grow, its market share within North America.”
The findings of this report are still relevant today. Current US policy is aiming for energy and manufacturing independence. So even without tariffs imposed on Canadian exports heading to the US, the US economy will soon have no need for Canadian energy, steel, lumber, or other products. With no market for Alberta’s economy and continued opposition from Central Canada, Alberta will have no economy.
What Should a Christian Do?
I’m not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but it appears that rough waters are ahead of us. What should a Christian do?
1. Remember our Sovereign God
Of all the truths that bring comfort to a troubled soul, the sovereignty of God ranks near the top.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 40:28).
Isaiah 40 is a call to God’s people to be comforted. Our God, supreme in wisdom, knowledge, and justice, governs the universe with his sovereign hand. We should never fear as nations come and go and powerful rulers rise and fall.
The word of God says, “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are accounted as the dust on the scales” (v. 15). “Scarcely are [powerful princes and rulers] planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble” (v. 24).
Our God knows the end from the beginning, not because he foresees its, but because he’s ordained it (Isaiah 46:9–10). He directs the king’s heart wherever he will (Prov 21:1). “He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Dan 4:35). Our God is in complete, meticulous control.
Christians should rest, not fret or worry, in the sovereign wisdom and control of our God. In the storms of life, he has the power to utter, “Be still!” and the wind and waves will obey him. He also has the wisdom to use the storms of this life to save and sanctify his people, doing a work in them to fit them for heaven.
God’s purposes are always good and cannot be thwarted (Job 42:2). So rest in the sovereignty of God before, during, and after life’s storms.
2. Pray for our Civic Leaders
We also must remember to pray for our civic leaders. “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim 2:1–2).
Note that we are urged to pray for our leaders so that we may lead a peaceful, quiet, godly, and dignified life. When our peace and livelihood is threatened by decisions made by governing authorities, we must pray so that they might make decisions in keeping with God’s precepts. Of course, rulers will do this best when they know the Lord and are genuinely converted. So let us pray for leaders in Calgary, Alberta, Ottawa, and Washington, that they may know Christ, serve Christ, and thus rule in such a way that blessings flow to the people they serve.
It is worldly to be angry with our governing authorities, it is godly to pray for them in sincerity and truth. Let us put away all malice and pray for those in positions of authority over us.
3. Pray for our Churches
Finally, we must pray that the church would be salt and light if the gathering economic storm visits our province or city. If suffering comes, the church must exercise compassion and be ready to assist those in need. At the same time, the church must not shy away from being a prophetic voice to pour light on failed policy and call the city, province, and nation back to God. The Western world has forsaken God and the church must be vigorous in her mission to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded (Matt 28:19–20).
Let us commit to pray, even taking the time after reading this article, to come before the throne of grace in the name of Jesus Christ. May the Lord be pleased to hear our prayers and show mercy on a sinful and rebellious people. May the Lord act in our day to bring revival to our dry and thirsty land for his own glory and name’s sake. May the Lord be pleased to start this work of revival in the household of faith.
—Tim Stephens
[1] Ontario and Quebec want to protect their own beef industries yet still import beef from the US, Australia, and New Zealand, but not Alberta.