Uncertain tariffs, shifting goalposts, and a historic low in Canada-USA relations have been dominating news cycles across the country, but the government of Alberta and Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken aren’t letting that get in the way of some province-to-state-level diplomacy.
van Dijken represented Alberta at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Spring Agriculture Task Force meeting, June 5 to 7, a grouping of state representatives from across the United States who met quarterly to discuss ag-related issues.
“We do much better in trade relationships when we’re at the table, discussing openly the value that we have, and the values that both parties benefit from the trade,” said van Dijken in a June 12 interview.
“Our goal in these types of relationships is to continue recognizing this as a partnership; it’s an important one for Alberta and an important one for many of the states we deal with.”
In 2024, Alberta exported $9.16 billion in food and agriculture products to the United States, the highest that number has ever been. The province has been an affiliate member of the NCSL ag task force for a couple of years now, according to van Dijken, and while it doesn’t get a vote in what the group decides to do, they do have a seat at the table and a chance to provide input.
“It’s essentially doing the work of ensuring that our state legislators have a good understanding of the relationship that Alberta has with a number of the states. It’s advocacy work on behalf of Albertans and our ag industry,” he said.
During the trip, the group got a chance to tour a variety of corn processing facilities — Iowa is in a section of the United States sometimes referred to as the Corn Belt — and legislators took part in round table discussions about bird flu, cattle, and foreign ownership of agricultural land.
The trip gave van Dijken and the provincial government a better idea of what direction states are leaning toward when it comes to agricultural practices, but it also gives the states a chance to ask the province questions, especially at a time when Canada-US relations are at an all-time low.
Shifting dynamics
“It was very interesting to see the dynamics between the meeting we had last summer with the same group compared to the meeting we just had. We’re limited to the amount of time we’re given to highlight what we’re doing, but when it came to Alberta presenting, there was lots of questions,” said van Dijken.
Premier Danielle Smith has faced criticism both provincially and federally for her softer approach to the USA than many of her peers — a recent decision by Alberta and Saskatchewan to resume importing American alcohol was brought up at the meeting by the Kentucky state representative — but van Dijken said trips like his are an important part of the province/state level diplomacy.
“We continue to take a very diplomatic approach as the Alberta government to ensure that we allow the Americans to see the value they have in the products we’re selling to them,” he said.
“Let’s be frank, the vast majority is energy, but the agricultural side is a very important export trade into the US.”
The majority of Alberta’s ag exports into the United States are beef and beef products, canola, and potatoes, with seasonal fruits and vegetables making the trip north in return.
“These are products that they need that they don’t grow, especially on the canola side of things, and with fruits and vegetables, we have a limited opportunity to grow that here so we need that too.”
There wasn’t much that van Dijken said was going to impact local farmers on the ag side, but he did say a promising discussion took place with the North Dakota representative over flare gas, which is present in the riding.
“The benefit for Alberta, and for local farmers here, is the fact that we’re continuing this discussion to ensure that free and fair trade continues across the border. It brings great value, especially to our canola farmers here but also to our beef industry. It can’t be understated how important those types of trade relationships are for our agricultural industry.”
The Cedar Rapids trip is one of a handful of new responsibilities van Dijken has taken on recently, including his appointment as chair of a cabinet policy review committee and appointment to the aggregate extraction task force. He chalked up the extra work to having a good working relationship with Smith, and said there was more to come down the road.
