by John Hayward
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe gave separate press conferences on Wednesday in which they refused to impose retaliatory tariffs against the United States on natural resources, in defiance of leftist Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trade war agenda.
Smith and Moe said they had no problem with matching U.S. tariffs dollar-for-dollar, but they rejected Carney’s urge to escalate the trade war by applying punitive tariffs to vital natural resources in their provinces, such as oil and potash.
“What we, as a province, cannot and will not support is any kind of export tariff on our natural resources,” said Moe.
“I cannot think of a more disastrous policy decision than cutting off or taxing Alberta’s oil to the United States. Doing so would absolutely devastate the Canadian economy,” said Smith.
At his press conference, Moe said planned to match a 50-percent U.S. tariff on Canadian spirits, while Smith said she was not quite ready to go that far. Smith called for more diplomacy with the United States and suggested the citizens of both countries could persuade their leaders to come back to the negotiating table.
“It means being more Canadian – too friendly, kind and helpful to resist,” she said of her preferred strategy.
Smith pointed out that Canada lacks the strategic oil reserves of the United States, so putting heavy tariffs on Canadian oil would “bring the economies of Ontario and Quebec to a grinding halt.”
“Canada will not win this battle through brute force,” she argued. “We will win it through being smarter, more strategic, more agile and using our reputation and relationship with the American people to have these tariffs reversed.”
Smith faces the additional complication of the Alberta independence referendum, which is currently scheduled for October 19. She has resisted calls to cancel the referendum in light of the U.S. trade dispute, although she said she wants Alberta to remain part of Canada.
“This is an important time for us to be looking at the benefits that come from being a part of Canada,” she said on Wednesday. “That’s what I’ve been advocating. It’s why I’m voting to remain.”
“I feel like we have a real momentum in our country now, working together, and I hope to persuade as many people as possible to vote with me,” she added.
Columnist Cory Morgan of Rebel News defied conventional wisdom, and Smith’s argument, on Wednesday by predicting that the trade dispute could strengthen the independence movement in Alberta, rather than destroying it.