Alberta Premier Danielle Smith triggered a festival of indignation when she was photographed meeting president-elect Donald Trump alongside fellow Canadians Kevin O’Leary and Jordan Peterson at Mar-a-Lago.
Instead of tut-tutting hypocritically, perhaps her critics should look to themselves as the cause of Alberta’s alienation.
Alberta stands to lose the most from Trump’s threatened 25% tariffs on all things Canadian. It also stands to gain the most. We should be applauding Smith for her tooth-and-nail fight to protect Alberta’s interests. It’s her job. Other provinces are outraged she’s looking for a carve-out from the tariffs.
Right now, we have no federal government. Parliament is shut down. The Liberal party is consumed by a leadership race.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world still turns. And who speaks for Canada? No one. That throws open the door for anyone and everyone to speak on our behalf.
Smith is the elected leader of a resource-rich province. The Trudeau government has consistently ignored and undermined the oil and gas industry. In that vacuum of leadership and absence of any strong federal figure negotiating on Alberta’s behalf, Smith is fighting for her province. Other premiers are free to do likewise.
Some are irked she was photographed with controversial psychologist Peterson and O’Leary, a businessman who’s expressed interest in having a common currency with the U.S. and other lessening of barriers between the two countries.
Peterson and O’Leary know they’re not elected and don’t speak for Canadians. They were there pursuing their business futures, as are many in the business world right now. She’s being tainted with guilt by association.
Where were these critics when Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and a Liberal MP were photographed with their arms entwined with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, known for his antisemitism, Holocaust denial and support of terror? But if a premier is photographed with the democratically elected next leader of a neighbouring country, opportunistic critics clutch their pearls in horror.
After being shunned and preached to by the Trudeau government, Smith is being courted by Trump. He’s buying what Alberta’s selling. Federal Liberals and other premiers are upset that, after they’ve ignored Alberta for nine years, suddenly it’s the Cinderella who gets the invitation to the inaugural ball.