Alberta’s Danielle Smith not putting ‘Canada first’ by refusing to sign Trump tariff plan, Trudeau says

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is slamming Alberta’s refusal to sign a joint statement on the plan to respond to Donald Trump’s tariff threats, saying Premier Danielle Smith is not putting Canadians first.

On Wednesday, Smith said Alberta would not agree to impose tariffs on energy or other products being exported to the United States.

Her decision was released in a statement while Trudeau and the other Canadian premiers vowed a collaborative approach to any tariffs, and promised supports for business and regions that could be hard hit. The federal government has not released details of the full response yet.

“Certainly, I don’t blame Danielle Smith for speaking up for her industry,” Trudeau said at a press conference Wednesday in Windsor. “That’s part of her job.

“But every single premier other than Danielle Smith then chose to put Canada first and say, ‘we’re all part of Team Canada, because what happens to any part of us happens to all of us, and we will be there to respond strongly, to fight for Canada, and to do it in a united way that makes sure that it’s fair across all industries, across all regions.’

“So, yes, premiers should be advocating for their own industries, their own communities, but they should also put their country first, as every single premier except Danielle Smith did.”

Smith, who joined Wednesday’s meeting with the premiers and prime minister virtually since she is on vacation, said she would take “whatever actions are needed to protect the livelihoods of Albertans from destructive federal policies.”

“We also urge our entire nation to use this tariff threat as an opportunity to correct the misguided direction of this country and commence multiple infrastructure projects that focus on developing, upgrading and exporting our oil, gas and other natural resources,” the Alberta premier wrote.

She offered her own version of what it means to be on “Team Canada” in a post on X Thursday, saying, in part, it’s about not “threatening the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Albertans and Canadians via an energy export tax or ban.”

It’s all in response to U.S. President-elect Trump’s proposed 25 per cent levy on all Canadian goods — including Alberta’s mainstay oil and gas exports — which he promised to impose shortly after taking office Monday. He has also suggested the tariffs are part of a larger strategy to annex Canada through “economic force.”

Smith has cautioned Ottawa against blocking energy exports to the U.S. in response to tariffs, calling it an “empty threat” that would spark a national unity crisis. The Alberta premier travelled south this weekend for a face-to-face meeting with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, where she posed with Canadian businessman and TV star Kevin O’Leary.

In a lengthy response when asked about Smith on Wednesday, the prime minister said standing up Canada goes both ways — including when Alberta’s interests matter most.

“That’s why Canadian taxpayers bought the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, TMX, to be able to get Albertan oil to new markets,” Trudeau said. “That was an investment that all Canadians made, that the Alberta government is making billions of dollars off of because, in what was a very difficult decision, the federal government made the decision to purchase and build and complete that pipeline.

“That’s an example of all Canadians standing up for Alberta and getting it done.”

Smith received backlash from other premiers for refusing to sign the joint statement. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Smith was playing into the hands of Trump, while Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said she would “have to explain her position.”

“It’s the oldest negotiation tactic in the world — divide and conquer — so I don’t think we should play into that strategy,” Houston said Thursday. “As a country we should stay unified.”

Where does Pierre Poilievre stand?

Trudeau also took aim at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has not said if he would consider suspending Canadian energy exports or imposing tariffs on them if the Trump administration follows through on its threat of tariffs.

“I think it’s very clear that right now, Pierre Poilievre, who wants to be prime minister for all Canadians, has a choice to make: either he stands up to fight for all Canadians — alongside all premiers and the federal government that are doing that — or he chooses to stand with Danielle Smith, Kevin O’Leary, and ultimately, Donald Trump.”

At a press conference in B.C., more than once Poilievre sidestepped questions about his position.

“I’m also going to unite our country,” he said. “I know the Liberals want to win elections by dividing Canadians from one province to another.

According to Poilievre, Canada is now “dependent” on the Americans “because of the Liberals and the radical ‘leftists'” who, he says, have rejected economic development and prevented the construction of oil pipelines and natural gas plants that would have allowed energy products to be sold directly to other countries overseas.

–With files from Cormac Mac Sweeney and The Canadian Press