Canada Seen as Top Option for Meeting US Oil Needs: Hoekstra

Pete Hoekstra, the US ambassador to Canada, believes that Alberta and Saskatchewan can meet the oil needs of the United States. Speaking at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region summit in Edmonton, Hoekstra stated that the two provinces are already good business partners for the US.

The US needs an additional 3-4 million barrels per day over the next decade to meet its oil requirements, according to Hoekstra. He noted that Canada has been a reliable supplier of oil to the US in the past and can continue to be a major source of supply in the future.

Hoekstra also touched on the ongoing trade uncertainty between Canada and the US, saying he expects an agreement to be reached at some point despite Trump's decision not to extend the existing Canada-US-Mexico trade agreement. He noted that the US is further along in talks with Mexico and reiterated that many Canadians' negative views of the US are making it harder to get a deal in place.

The ambassador expressed his optimism about the potential for Canada and the US to partner on other areas, such as critical mineral development. He emphasized the importance of the trade relationship between the two countries for national security and economic reasons.