Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is pushing her message for an end to the fierce U.S.-Canada trade war directly to Americans.
Smith, appearing on the Fox Business Network on Monday, was asked how Canadians feel about U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent move to rebrand Lake Ontario as Lake America.
“Canadians are confused,” she said.
“I think they’re disappointed.”
Smith added it’s particularly confounding given the two countries’ long-standing economic and military relationship.
Canadian troops stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Americans in Afghanistan, she said, and the upcoming 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States is a reminder of that close relationship.
“We don’t understand why the Americans would want Canada to be weaker,” Smith said.
“I think we’re stronger together.”
The United States imposed 50 per cent tariffs on billions of dollars in Canadian exports starting Aug. 22, after trade talks fell apart. Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products would start Sept. 8.
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When asked who will be hurt the most by the trade war — Canada or the United States — Smith said it will topple small businesses and decimate jobs on both sides of the border.
She also repeated that her province’s oil and gas exports wouldn’t be used as a bargaining chip in trade talks, despite a push from some, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, to keep everything on the table.
Smith continued to urge the Trump administration and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to resolve the dispute.
“Canadians are really hopeful that we can get back to the table — just talk about the outstanding issues, (and) resolve them. We came very close to a deal,” she said.
Smith isn’t the only Canadian premier to appeal to American television audiences since trade talks between the two countries disintegrated.
Ford told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer last week his war of words with Trump got a little personal but that he wants to make a good deal for people on both sides of the border.
Ford and Trump had exchanged insults, with Ford calling the president a bully, among other things, and Trump saying the premier was a “less charismatic, intelligent” version of his late brother, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford.
Sitting in the Oval Office on Thursday, near a map with the name “Lake America” over the body of water, Trump said Canada has been difficult to deal with and repeated claims the country is ripping off the United States.
“They want to be treated like a state, but they are not a state,” Trump said.
When asked why he’s targeting American allies with these types of actions instead of American adversaries, Trump said “they haven’t treated us well.”
“The Canadian officials have treated us very badly,” Trump said. “They are nasty people.”
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