Nafta 2.0: Dealing with the Devil
Despite being such a prominent component of the trade relationship, energy has hardly come up in Nafta talks. That could change
It's well known that Canada and the US share the longest undefended border in the world. What's less acknowledged is that they also share the world's largest bilateral trading relationship, amounting to almost $1 trillion a year, a partnership which has more than doubled since the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) was implemented in 1993. A substantial chunk of that trade is in oil. Energy alone accounted for a fifth of all Canadian exports to the US in 2016—and that was in a year when oil prices were down, according to the Energy Information Administration. Now, President Donald Trump is threatening to upend a status quo that began with the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement in 1988 a
Also in this section
20 February 2026
The country is pushing to increase production and expand key projects despite challenges including OPEC+ discipline and the limitations of its export infrastructure
20 February 2026
Europe has transformed into a global LNG demand powerhouse over the last few years, with the fuel continuing to play a key role in safeguarding the continent’s energy security, Carsten Poppinga, chief commercial officer at Uniper, tells Petroleum Economist
20 February 2026
Sempra Infrastructure’s vice president for marketing and commercial development, Carlos de la Vega, outlines progress across the company’s US Gulf Coast and Mexico Pacific Coast LNG portfolio, including construction at Port Arthur LNG, continued strong performance at Cameron LNG and development of ECA LNG
19 February 2026
US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy has grown its business rapidly since exporting its first cargo a decade ago. But Chief Commercial Officer Anatol Feygin tells Petroleum Economist that, as in the past, the company’s future expansion plans are anchored by high levels of contracted offtake, supporting predictable returns on investment






