It is a big week for our neighbors to the south and I would like to send congratulations to all my American friends living in the US. First off Happy Presidents day (Feb 18th) which is always a good day to celebrate two of Americans greatest leaders (George Washington and Abraham Lincoln). Why is the day posted as Feb 18th many always ask me, the answer is quite simple … It is the date picked between their respective birthdates (GW Feb 22, and AL Feb 12).

This week also marks the inauguration of Barack Obama happening tomorrow January the 20th, and is sure to be a huge occasion around many parts of the US. Not only does this end 8 continuous years of Republican rule, but it also marks the very first time in US history that an African American person was elected as the President of the United States of America.

3 Million People are expected out to see this incredible time in history transpire. Can you imagine the weight of that sitting squarely on your shoulders? Imagine an entire nation awaiting you as the solution to all that ales a failing American economy and way of life?
So this brings me to how all of this might affect us lonely Canadian living in the firiidgid north? What does this new president mean for us and our economy? We would be foolish not to review this … not to study and try to predict what might happen as the US try to strengthen their economy.

Take for example the means by which a tradition “protectionist” Democratic party like we now have coming into the US might try to stabilize the homeland. Would it not make sense for them to try to keep some of the industry such as oil (think Alberta oil sands projects) auto industry (such as all our car assembly or parts plants in Ontario), or even pulp and paper mill (such as the huge export to the US that Quebec provides)? What are the greater effects on us Canadian if the American President decides to pull these industries back to home soil and begin protecting their best interest?

I hope that the fact that Barack Obama has chosen Canada and Ottawa as his first out of country visit bodes well for us. I hope that they Americans understand the delicate balance of import/export that helps the entire economy as a whole circulate and grow. My hopes are that everything will remain as is, and we all stride together to help our economy out of this crisis through solid planning and execution of a debt inhalation program. That we as the general populous learn how to control spending effectively, and live within our means resisting the temptation to simply spend our way into poverty.