Alaska House of Representatives Opposes Restrictive US-Canada Trade Measures
Downtown Anchorage, Alaska. The US state of Alaska is what makes the US an Arctic nation. Alaska shares a border with Canada in the east (Photo: Arne O. Holm)
The Alaska House of Representatives has passed a resolution opposing restrictions on cross-border trade between the US and Canada.
The Alaska House of Representatives has approved a resolution that recognizes the relationship between Canada and Alaska, opposing restrictive trade measures that would harm the unique relationship between the two and their integrated economies.
The House Joint Resolution 11 was approved by the Alaska House on Monday and would further need to be approved by the Alaska Senate. The resolution will eventually also be sent to US and Canadian national officials.
Alaska Beacon reported that the Alaska House asks for the Trump administration and Canadian government to step back from a brewing trade war.
US President Donald Trump has, among other things, imposed 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, and the Canadian government has introduced reciprocal tariffs in response to US tariffs. Trump has also announced a new round of tariffs on April 2nd.
Alaska's only neighbor
According to Alaska Public Media, House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, said lawmakers want President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney "to work together amicably to resolve the tariff situation in a way that shows the respect for territorial [integrity] and sovereignty of both nations and in a way that recognizes how urgent we need this relationship."
The resolution furthermore recognizes the close ties between Alaska and Canada, which is the state's only neighbor and recognizes the sovereign nation of Canada and its right to self-determination.
Alaska Beacon reports that Monday’s vote comes amid continued threats by the Trump administration against the government of Canada, including claims that Canada should be “the 51st state.”
