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The Peace Bridge between Port Erie, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York, carries more than a million trucks and more than five million cars each year.
As Americans prepare to vote for their next president, Canadians and Mexicans are watching nervously.
For some Canadians living near the U.S. border, politics is not a topic often discussed.
“You don't talk about politics and you don't talk about religion,” says Ernie, 85, who lives in the Canadian town of Fort Erie, just across the Niagara River from Buffalo, New York.
Yet for others in Fort Erie, Ontario, politics can arise, especially after a few beers, and as the U.S. presidential election approaches.
Just steps from the Peace Bridge that connects the two countries is Southsides Patio Bar & Grill, where American-born bartender Lauren says she frequently has to break up political arguments.
“It happens, especially after a few drinks. Everyone’s voice is heard here,” she laughs, shaking her head.
About 2,000 miles southwest of the Mexican border city of Juarez, Sofia Ana stands in the queue of cars Monday morning waiting to travel to El Paso, Texas, for her job.
“There are better job opportunities in the United States, and better benefits,” she explains.
Ana is one of an estimated 500,000 Mexicans who legally cross the U.S. border every weekday.
It is in their interest that relations between the two countries remain cordial. “It touches us deeply… it’s very intense,” adds Ana from the window of her car.
With more than 155 million Americans expected to vote in the U.S. presidential election on November 5, it's fair to say the outcome will be felt far beyond the United States. No more than its largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico.
Bilateral trade in goods between the US and Mexico totaled $807bn (£621bn) last year, making Mexico the US's largest trading partner in physical goods.
Meanwhile, U.S. merchandise trade with Canada was in second place in 2023, at $782 billion. For comparison, the figure for the United States and China was $576 billion.
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More than half a million Mexicans travel legally to the United States every day, mostly by car.
Mexico and Canada's future trade with the United States could be affected if Donald Trump wins the US election. Indeed, he proposes to introduce substantial import duties. This would be 60% for products from China and 20% for products from all other countries, apparently including Mexico and Canada.
In contrast, Kamala Harris is widely expected to maintain President Biden's current more open trade policies. This is despite the fact that she voted against the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA), saying it did not go far enough in the fight against climate change.
Trump and Harris have “completely different visions for the future of America's economic relationship with the world,” according to a study released in September.
Back in Juarez, store owner Adrian Ramos says America's political instability is something business owners like him have had to get used to. “We’ve seen it all,” he said.
Mr. Ramos adds that the outcome in the United States on November 5 will likely impact his business, whoever wins. “If Trump wins, it will take longer to reach the United States. If Harris wins, that might not be the case, but there will be changes depending on who wins.”
Mexican store owner Adrian Ramos says Mexicans will be affected by the outcome of the U.S. election, regardless of who wins.
In rural Canadian Puslinch, Ontario, beef farmer Dave Braden is much more concerned about Trump's return to the White House.
“The problem with Trump is that he will introduce a policy (like tariffs) and just say 'go for it,' which is threatening,” says Braden, standing between bales of hay in front of one of his cattle fields. .
“I think with Harris we are assuming that she will recognize the relationship between the two countries and that we will work together.”
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is also concerned that a second Trump presidency could introduce new tariffs. He calculated that 10% tariffs on Canadian imports (a level previously suggested by Trump) would cost every Canadian and American CA$1,100 ($800; £615) a year.
The Canadian government has reportedly spoken with Trump's camp to try to exempt Canada in the event he wins the election.
However, not all Canadians have such fears about Trump. An Ontario farmer who supports him declined to speak on the record, but said he believes the former president is stronger economically, which would benefit Canada.
For Georganne Burke, head of the Republicans Abroad Canada section, it is not surprising that some Trump supporters do not speak publicly about him. She says supporting Trump is “not a popular position.”
A recent poll suggests that Harris is significantly more popular than Trump among Canadians.
The USMCA, negotiated in 2018 under the Trump presidency, must be renegotiated in 2026.
With this in mind, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François Champagne, told the BBC that he checks US election polls daily.
“Because it’s such a valuable relationship. That’s why I call it this indispensable relationship, because when you look at everything, you realize how indispensable we are to each other,” he explains.
As the elections approach, Mr. Champagne is spending time meeting with his American counterparts from both parties. In his words, “connecting the dots.”
“For example, when I meet with the governor of South Carolina, which has an automobile plant, I remind him that a large portion of critical minerals come from Canada,” he says. “So it's about making sure that everyone understands that we are united in terms of security, in terms of the supply chain, but also in terms of the growth agenda for North America.”
Dave Braden, beef farmer
Lila Abed, an expert on U.S.-Mexico relations, says that whatever the outcome in November, “there will be three critical topics on the bilateral agenda with Mexico that need to be addressed immediately”: migration, security and trade.
“It is telling that (the new Mexican president) Claudia Sheinbaum has not appointed the Mexican ambassador to the United States,” adds Ms. Abed, director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center think tank, based in Washington.
“I don't believe this will be announced before the US presidential election, because she wants to think about the type of person she wants in Washington after the result.”
Looking to 2026, Ms. Abed believes that the USMCA renegotiation will focus on US efforts to halt increased Chinese investment in Mexico.
“Where the Republicans and Democrats really coincide is in trying to stem or stop Chinese investment in Mexico, which is of great concern to both political parties in the United States,” she says.
“While I believe that, you know, the tone and the policies will naturally differ depending on who wins the White House, I believe that the key issues on the bilateral agenda will remain.”
Additional reporting by Vianey Alderete.
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