Election results Tuesday night showed that Americans are interested in jobs, jobs jobs and, if Canada is smart, it will get out front with a big lobby campaign south of the border to point out how many American jobs are dependent on trade with Canada.

That’s the view of U.S. policy expert Colin Robertson, vice president of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute who has done diplomatic stints in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.

“We need to underline to every new legislator the jobs in their district that depend on trade with Canada,” Robertson said on Wednesday, “and point out the jobs created by Canadian investment.

“What we need in Canada is a strategy that is big and bold and built around jobs … We’re their number one market because of the deep integration.”

Canadian politicians also need to get over their allergy to dealing with “evangelicals and conservatives” in the U.S. “Get over it, and get knocking.”

Robertson also warns:

* While a U.S. carbon cap and trade system has been sidelined, expect “what they can’t do through legislation, the Administration will try to do through regulation and the Environmental Protection Agency.”

* Expect the GOP to emphasize security and enforcement at the border. “There is a Pat Buchanan/Ross Perot strain within the new Republican coalition that is isolationist. This won’t help us.”

* Expect that any cooperation on a security deal by Arctic nations will be delayed as the American Senate probably will not now ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Bottom Line: Canada better get busy to ensure its own interests are protected.