Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the first head of state to be invited to speak at the annual Microsoft CEO Summit.
He flew in this afternoon to promote Canada as an alternative for Microsoft.
Because it's now tougher for Microsoft to attract top talent from overseas to Redmond, under Trump administration immigration policies.
But Trudeau and Washington State have concerns that go far beyond Microsoft.
International Trade Consultant and former candidate for Gov. Bill Bryant told us more than 200,000 Washington jobs depend on Canada trade.
“We ship billions of dollars of goods to Canada and they ship billions of dollars of goods to Washington State. And we use each other’s products to manufacture goods that we then export around the world, Bryant said
But cheaper lumber exports from Canada is one of the issues that impacts Washington State.
“It's a very difficult issue that goes to environmental and forest management practices not just pricing the forest products, Bryant said.
President Trump has threatened Trudeau with high tariffs on Canadian lumber.
“If you want to kill jobs in Washington State, pick a trade war with Canada,” Bryant said.
Local protestors gathered near the Canadian consulate in downtown Seattle. They want Trudeau to kill a trans-Canada pipeline that will bring oil from the Tar Sands in Canada to an export terminal in British Columbia.
Vanessa Castle fears the, “potential for oil spills in our waters which is where my people get their food from.”
Trudeau will meet with Gov. Jay Inslee tomorrow. One of the things on their agenda will be the prospect of building high speed rail between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia.
Cox Media Group
