Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been under fire for apparently betraying Team Canada when it comes to the threatened tariffs from President Donald Trump.
But despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stoking Canada-Alberta divisions, the two leaders are remarkably in agreement on how best to approach the problem.
In a news conference Tuesday, ahead of a cabinet retreat in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Trudeau repeated and adopted many of the positions that Smith has been advocating in the past week.
Smith is less keen on threatening the U.S., preferring to emphasize that strengthening trade makes both countries stronger, and tariffs would weaken them.
In his press conference, Trudeau was singing off the same hymn sheet.
“Canadian energy powers American manufacturers, businesses and homes,” he said.
If Trump wants a “golden age,” then “that will require more steel and aluminum, more critical minerals, more reliable and affordable energy, more of everything to run the American economy full steam ahead. Canada has all those resources and we stand at the ready to work with the United States to create a booming and secure North American economy.
“The alternative for them would be more resources from Russia, China or Venezuela.”
Trudeau noted that the number of executive orders from Trump after he was sworn in showed that the president was moving fast in trying to get economic benefits for the American economy.
“That is something we are prepared to help with and contribute to. If the American economy is going to need more energy, more inputs for its manufacturing, more security in its partnerships, Canada is there to provide that.
“Canada and America do well when they work together,” said the prime minister.
These points are indistinguishable from what Smith has been saying, and she repeated them in her own press conference Tuesday.
Like Trudeau, she spoke about Canada’s desire to help America with their energy needs.
“Americans can’t get there without Canada. The Americans consume 21 million barrels a day of oil. They produce 13 million barrels. They have to get the balance from somewhere.
“Our particular brand of heavy oil is perfect for their refineries and there aren’t very many places to get it from — Venezuela, Iran, Iraq.”
Smith highlighted how each province had something to offer, giving as examples B.C’s germanium — which China will not export to the U.S. — and Saskatchewan’s uranium, with the U.S. having to go to Kazakhstan and Russia to get some supplies.
“You can go through each province and each territory and each of us has a value proposition that I think syncs up with America’s aspiration to be energy dominant on both traditional forms of energy as well as critical minerals,” she said.
Smith, like Trudeau, also pointed to the executive orders and to Trump declaring an energy emergency, describing the moves as a “roadmap for Canada.”
The orders fit into “our national interest into helping America achieve those goals. I think that we have a very strong case to make, but every province has an equally strong case to make,” she said.
“I think we have a position of strength going in and I think we should be confident going in from a position of strength.”
And yet with so much agreement, it was the prime minister last week who sought to play up the differences.
Trudeau and Canada’s First Ministers — with the exception of Smith — last week agreed to a “nothing-off-the-table” approach to negotiations with the U.S. over tariffs. Smith has adopted a more “wait-and-see” diplomatic approach.
But Trudeau sought to characterize Smith’s approach as anti-Canadian.
“I do not blame Danielle Smith for speaking up for her industry, but every single premier other than Danielle Smith chose to put Canada first,” he said. “Premiers should advocate for their own industries, their own communities, but they should also put Canada first.”
The disagreement with Smith is about how best to retaliate against tariffs. But we are not there yet. And despite Trump saying he would impose tariffs on Canada on Day 1, he didn’t.
The tariffs might come in February, or after a review on April 1, or not at all. It’s Trump, he might do anything.
So instead of Trudeau loudly decrying Smith’s alleged betrayal over something that might not happen, maybe the prime minister should have been trumpeting the common ground that they hold, that Canada and Alberta are absolutely united in working with America and committed to making that partnership stronger and more successful.
Team Canada is always going to have disagreements, but just because one premier favours a different approach is no reason for the prime minister to accuse them of betraying the country. Especially when the prime minister agrees with many things the premier says.
Trudeau has less than two months left in power. It would be nice if he spent less time creating division and more time promoting harmony.
National Post