Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she trusts Prime Minister Mark Carney will be able to reach a deal with the U.S. that avoids President Donald Trump’s threatened new tariffs on Canada, adding Carney is “wise” to avoid retaliating for now.
In an interview with Global News after meeting with Carney and the rest of Canada’s premiers in Charlottetown, Smith said Carney is treating the tariff threat with the urgency it deserves, noting the countdown to Aug. 19 when the duties are set to take effect.
“I think that the sense of urgency that the prime minister expressed is, I think, the right sense to have,” she said.
“I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s got the right team at the table.”
Carney has said he spoke with Trump Tuesday morning and they agreed to intensify trade negotiations, after the U.S. administration announced Monday it would hammer some Canadian products with 50 per cent tariffs in 30 days.
The prime minister said Thursday that intensity has been evident in the discussions between Canadian and American counterparts so far this week.
“There’s a level of engagement and a breadth of engagement that reflects the seriousness of the trade relationship, and the breadth of the issues,” he told reporters. “So it creates an opportunity now.”
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Carney added that while “everything is on the table” for potential retaliation should the tariffs go ahead, it would be “counterproductive at this stage to respond in advance.”
Smith said that’s the right approach.
“I would say you don’t go into a discussion saying you’re going to punch somebody in the nose if they don’t give you what you want,” she said.
“I think that the prime minister is being wise to say, let’s deal with the stages as they come. And the stage that we’re in right now is that there seems to be some sense of urgency over these next 27 days to try to get to an agreement. … We know what the irritants are from the American point of view, we also know some of the things that would be beneficial to the American economy if we can come to a deal on them.”
The premier added that pressure from the American people and politicians on the Trump administration may also play a role over the next month, along with continued lobbying from Canadian officials like herself.
“The approach that has been taken (against Canada) isn’t working for rank-and-file Americans,” she said. “They see it, they feel it. They know that they can get cheaper homes if you could get a deal on softwood, cheaper food if we could make sure that we’ve got a free flow of food going across the border, cheaper products on every front if we don’t have tariffs on steel and aluminum and auto parts.
“I think that message has been coming through from advocates in the United States, and because we — not just me, but all of the other elected officials (in Canada) — have been maintaining those relationships and making that case. I think it’s having an impact, and so we’ll see in 27 days if that’s true or not.”
Smith said she’s also welcoming the support of other premiers for energy projects that Alberta has been championing, including oil pipelines to British Columbia and Ontario, as well as the agreements signed this week to lift interprovincial barriers on alcohol sales.
Those deals, as well as premiers’ vocal support for Alberta remaining a part of Canada, may have an impact on the upcoming referendum on whether to pursue a path to separation, she added.
“I think that there’s been a lot of helpfulness that has happened from other politicians when they say, ‘We recognize Alberta had grievances and we want to solve them,’” Smith said.
“I think that’s what Albertans want to hear.”
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