Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? The question finally reaches a conclusion (hopefully) tonight, after a year-long campaign that at times seemed like two toddlers slapping at each other on an international stage.

If Google search results are any indication, Canadians’ concerns about the fallout of a Trump presidency have peaked over the past week (far outstripping those Googling what would happen if Clinton wins). That matches up with recent polling that suggests 81 per cent of Canadians are nervous about what would happen should Trump win; 82 per cent of Canadians in another poll said they believe a Clinton presidency would be better for Canada than the alternative.

But two former diplomats with experience in Canada-U.S. relations say that who lands in the Oval Office next matters less for Canadians than the makeup of Congress, which may not see any significant change...

The scant attention given to Canadian issues in this American election campaign has tended to focus on just a few core issues, all of them linked to the rising anti-trade and anti-globalization fever already seen in other parts of the world.

Specifically, the demands from many quarters to repeal NAFTA and tear up the Trans-Pacific Partnership are what could hit closest to home for Canadians, if anything actually comes of them...

But when it comes down to it, the power to act on either of those approaches to trade policy is not the president’s alone. Both would require agreement in Congress and, as demonstrated by the persistent gridlock that plagued President Barack Obama’s eight years in office, getting that support is generally easier said than done, particularly now that the political dialogue around trade has been superheated by the rhetoric of the campaign.

...the next inauguration could spell trouble for the Trans-Pacific Partnership — but neither Clinton nor Trump could rally enough support to make major changes to NAFTA...

This was excerpted from 8 November 2016 article by iPolitics.