Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made it clear that she won’t be retaliating with provincial oil exports in the ongoing tariff battle with the United States.
As questions were raised Friday about how newly sworn-in Prime Minister Mark Carney will defend Alberta’s economy, Smith said the first order of business should be to call a federal election.
It all took place on a dramatic and historic day when Canada’s 24th prime minister took over the top job in Ottawa during a period of economic uncertainty.
Driven by on-and-off again tariffs, as well as annexation threats from south of the border, Carney said, “We will never, ever in any way shape or form be a part of the United States.”
Back in Canada from an energy trip to Texas, Smith said there’s one specific way the new prime minister can best support Alberta’s energy sector.
“You can shuffle the (Liberal Party) deck, but it’s still the same foundational ideology that has been punishing to our province for the last 10 years,” Smith said. “So we need an election to sort it out, and I hope that gets called sooner rather than later.”
Conciliatory approach
While other provinces have threatened to punish the U.S. because of tariffs levied against Canada, Alberta has maintained a more conciliatory approach.
Smith said Friday that the effort to push back on U.S. energy security only angered the American government and that Canada won’t succeed using aggressive tactics.
Smith maintained that Alberta resources will not be used to try to punish the U.S.
“If they haven’t learned the lesson of the last week about how closely the Americans tie energy security to national security, I have every intention to make that perfectly clear in every meeting, in every forum,” she said.
“We will not support a carbon tax, an export tax, we will not support any kind of curtailment.”
No comparison
Experts say Ontario can’t be compared to Alberta.
“They (Ontario) could literally afford to drive off energy without taking a major hit,” said University of Calgary public policy professor Carlo Dade. “Alberta energy exports aren’t less than one per cent of our GDP.”
Smith has spent lots of time in recent weeks advocating for Alberta in the United States.
Dade said he believes Smith likely has a winning strategy for dealing with a precarious American federal government.
“You’re playing the long game, but you’re also playing the short game,” Dade said. “I think Danielle Smith is doing an excellent job of also thinking about the long game, and I don’t see others doing that.”
Smith said there were other ways to negotiate with the United States, but didn’t mention specifics, saying only that she plans to take a measured and appropriate response.
She added that the Americans value energy security as much as they value national security.
Alberta exports $150 billion worth of energy every year. Dade said that if the new prime minister wants to be successful in the tariff fight, he might want to call up Danielle Smith.
