Alaska House asks for cooldown in Trump-triggered US-Canada trade dispute
House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, speaks on Monday, March 24, 2025, in favor of House Joint Resolution 11. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
The Alaska House of Representatives is asking the Trump administration and Canadian government to step back from a brewing trade war.
In a 33-4 vote Monday, the House approved a resolution saying that state lawmakers oppose 'restrictive trade measures or tolls that would harm the unique relationship between Canada and Alaska or negatively affect our integrated economies.'
If approved by the Alaska Senate, the resolution would be sent to national officials in both the United States and Canada.
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.'
The Trump administration has prepared a large number of tariffs against Canadian imports, and the Canadian government has preemptively enacted retaliatory measures.
In British Columbia, the government has introduced legislation that could lead to tolls on traffic traveling between Alaska and the Lower 48.
'In a time when there's much global uncertainty, Alaska is speaking with the voice that is — in one sense pleading between our two greatest powers, our government — the United States — and the Canadian government, to come together, to work together amicably, to resolve the tariff situation in a way that shows the respect for territorial sovereignty of both nations, and in a way that recognizes how urgently we need this relationship,' said House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage.
Alaska annually exports almost $600 million in goods to Canada while importing more than $750 million from the country, the resolution states. At least 20,300 Alaska jobs rely on ties to Canada, it says.
Rep. Andi Story, D-Juneau, noted that Alaska and Canada have social and cultural ties that predate the creation of either country, with Indigenous communities stretching across what is now an international border.
'If we take care to acknowledge — if we continue to exercise mutual respect, support and cooperation, we can more easily resolve the disputes that might arise, and continue to enjoy the manifest benefits of our relationship between Alaska and our good neighbor, Canada,' said Rep. Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River.
None of the lawmakers who voted against the resolution spoke on the House floor about their decision. After the vote, Rep. Bill Elam, R-Nikiski and one of the 'no' voters, said he didn't think it was appropriate for a state legislature to be dabbling in foreign affairs.
HJR 11 has not yet been set for a hearing in the Senate; a similarly written companion resolution is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
16 minutes ago
- New York Times
Is 4,700 federal troops a big deployment?
About 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines have been sent to Los Angeles as of Tuesday morning, after President Trump bypassed California leaders who said federal forces were not needed to respond to mostly peaceful protests. Here's how the deployment compares to past military activations on domestic soil responding to social unrest. 2021: Attack on the Capitol In 2021, officials in Washington initially requested 340 National Guard members to help respond to planned protests on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, according to the military. As the protests on Jan. 6 against the 2020 presidential election results deteriorated, with a violent mob attacking police officers and the Capitol, the mayor of Washington D.C., Muriel Bowser, requested assistance, and 1,100 D.C. National Guard members were sent. Later that night, the acting defense secretary at the time, Chris Miller, mobilized 6,200 more National Guard members from other states to ensure peace in the days leading up to former President Joseph R. Biden's inauguration. 2020: George Floyd Protests After protests sprung up around the United States in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, National Guard members were deployed to several states. As of June 3, 2020, the National Guard had deployed more than 18,000 members in 28 states to respond to civil unrest related to Mr. Floyd's murder at the request of the states' governors. Another 42,000 National Guard members were activated at the same time for the coronavirus pandemic response. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Space and defense tech firm Voyager raises $382.8 million in US IPO
(Reuters) -Voyager Technologies raised $382.8 million in its U.S. initial public offering, the space and defense tech company said on Tuesday, amid a global rush to amp up military spending. The company, which provides mission-critical space and defense technology solutions, along with some investors sold roughly 12.35 million shares at $31 per share, above its marketed range of $26 to $29. The offering is the latest in recent weeks as the U.S. IPO market regained its footing after being restricted by tariff-driven volatility. The Denver, Colorado–based company's IPO comes as President Donald Trump's administration looks to sharply increase spending on defense and space projects. Trump last month selected a design for his $175 billion Golden Dome project, a next-generation U.S. missile defense shield. The stock will trade on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday under the symbol "VOYG". Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan are the lead underwriters on the listing.


Bloomberg
21 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Newsom Warns Trump May Use Soldiers on Immigration Raids
Gavin Newsom is warning that Donald Trump's use of troops where state and local officials don't want them is actually a test, one the Republican president may seek to replicate across other American towns and cities as part of his mass deportation effort. 'We're getting word that he's looking to operationalize that relationship and advance significantly larger-scale ICE operations in partnership and collaboration with the National Guard,' the Democratic governor said on the podcast Pod Save America. Such a move would likely be illegal for reasons similar to those Newsom has cited in litigation to stop Trump's use of the military in Los Angeles. Legal experts have said that, as with many of Trump's emergency declarations since he took office, there is no legal basis for the Republican's move to take control of the California National Guard. State and city officials have reported that protests against Trump and his immigration raids have been largely peaceful during the day with minor skirmishes at night, while limited to a few parts of a city that spreads over several hundred square miles. With no reported deaths and few injuries—some among journalists shot with plastic rounds by local police —protests have begun spreading across the country. Demonstrations have been held in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Texas and Washington. Meanwhile, Trump's federalization of 4,000 members of California National Guard and his ordering of 700 active duty Marines to Los Angeles will reportedly cost $134 million for 60 days.