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Photo by Ed Kaiser / Postmedia

For Notley, the political antithesis of the Republican nominee, congratulating Trump on his win must have been about as comfortable as a root canal minus the local anesthetic. But Alberta is hardly in a position to torch economic ties that bind us. Instead, it’s time to start filling up the water buckets alongside the federal government to put out any fires that a Trump administration might be looking to start.

The choice by American voters means that, for all the disturbing things Trump said in the last two years about his opponents, minorities, women and anyone else who got in his way during the campaign, Canadians now have no choice but to interpret his policy agenda as well as his personality.

Trump promised, in broad strokes, to rip up trade deals like the two-decade old North American Free Trade Agreement if he can’t negotiate new terms for what he described as “the worst trade deal” in history. He also pledged to pull the U.S. out of international climate change accords. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. said Wednesday officials are prepared to talk trade if need be. Alberta better have a seat at that table.

On pipelines, long an Alberta lobbying focus, Trump said he supports the Keystone XL project. Though President Barack Obama said “no” in 2015, declaring that the pipeline to connect Alberta’s bitumen exports to refineries and tidewater on the Gulf Coast did not serve America’s national interest, Trump said he would invite TransCanada to reapply. The catch is that he said he’d expect a cut for the U.S.

Trump’s election is like watching a next door neighbour pull his house down to the foundation and start tearing up the yard. Notley’s only option is to welcome him to the neighbourhood and offer him plenty of softwood lumber to rebuild.

Local editorials are the consensus opinion of the Journal’s editorial board, comprising Mark Iype, Dave Breakenridge, Sarah O’Donnell and David Evans.