Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she is optimistic that since U.S. President Donald Trump did not impose tariffs on Canadian imports on Day 1 of his presidency, Canada will find options to work out an arrangement of some sort with the country’s southern neighbour.
“I’m an optimist,” Smith told reporters on a video conference call from Washington, D.C., on Tuesday morning. “I think there’s a deal to be made here.
“My interpretation of the president is he likes to win, so it’s up to us to demonstrate how we can get a double win here. I think it’s a double win to sell more to the United States, buy more from the United States, have a joint-energy security strategy that leads to a national and international security strategy.”
Weeks ahead of his inauguration, Trump threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods — citing what he says is a trade deficit with Canada — and suggested it could be in Canada’s interest to become the United States’ 51st state. He has also said he is concerned with what he believes are large amounts of fentanyl and undocumented people crossing into the U.S. from Canada.
With fears Trump could impose crippling tariffs on Canada on his first day in the White House, federal and provincial lawmakers in Canada have been meeting to come up with a response. While signing executive orders on Monday, Trump revealed his administration may move forward with those tariffs on Feb. 1.
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“We were pleased to see Canada got a Day 1 reprieve from tariffs,” said Smith, who has been in Washington to lobby U.S. lawmakers to try and avert the imposition of tariffs, particularly on Alberta oil and gas.
“We have a short window to demonstrate the very positive relationship that Canada and the U.S. have from a tariff-free point of view and why it should remain…
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