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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith praises Trump tariffs reversal but warns threat 'is still very real'

Later Monday evening, Trump suggested the U.S. would enact the tariffs on Canada and Mexico as early as Feb. 1, calling Canada a "very bad abuser"

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U.S. President Donald Trump says he will be holding off on imposing the tariffs he’s been promising, earning praise from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

Trump has been threatening to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods upon his inauguration on Monday which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and premiers across the country have been adamantly against. However, according to a presidential memo sent out to U.S. federal agencies, they were instructed to re-examine trade policies and relationships with Canada, Mexico and China, but there was no immediate order to impose tariffs.

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In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Smith said she is pleased to see Trump has refrained from imposing tariffs but warned the threat “is still very real.”

She listed a number of steps Canada should take immediately to strengthen the country’s economic partnership with the U.S which included doubling down on border security, accelerating Canada’s two per cent of GDP NATO target, repealing federal “anti-energy policies” and cracking down on immigration streams and loopholes.

“The worst possible response to today’s news would be the federal government or premiers declaring “victory” or escalating tensions with unnecessary threats against the United States,” Smith said, highlighting the need for diplomacy and to cease talks of retaliation.

Later Monday evening, Trump suggested the U.S. would enact the tariffs on Canada and Mexico as early as Feb. 1, calling Canada a “very bad abuser.”

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Deanna Horton, a distinguished fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, said the relationship between the U.S. and Canada is asymmetric.

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“If you asked most Americans about this 25 per cent tariff threat, most of them wouldn’t know about it, whereas in Canada, my guess is, pretty much everybody knows about it,” Horton said.?

At this time, Horton said it is imperative that all levels of Canadian governments come together, especially if the tariffs are imposed at a later date.

“The relationships with the U.S. are very intense and close from every level,” Horton said. “Everybody has to come together on this and I think it’s a good opportunity for us to determine what kind of relationship we want, and steer it in that direction.”

Canadian leaders have banded together to find ways to fight the incoming threat of tariffs with many taking a “team Canada” approach. One premier who has stood out has been Smith who took to social media Sunday to showcase how productive her visit to inaugural-season in Washington, D.C., had already been in two days.

Smith left out of in-person ceremony

Slushy snow from Sunday’s snowfall froze in place, wreaking havoc for drivers around the D.C. area Sunday evening, and turning shovelled residential walkways into rinks as Martin Luther King Day dawned cold and slick, long john weather for the first indoor Rotunda Inauguration in 40 years.

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Temperatures in Washington were expected to dip to -11 C Monday, with winds up to 30 km/h.

The winter weather forced Monday’s inauguration ceremony indoors leaving many scheduled attendees in the cold, including Alberta’s Smith.

Smith’s press secretary, Sam Blackett, told The Canadian Press in a statement the premier planned to attend an event at the Canadian Embassy on Monday.

Meanwhile, former Edmonton Oiler and Trump family friend Wayne Gretzky and his wife, Janet, were among the attendees inside the rotunda at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

Former NHL player Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones arrive for the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC
Former NHL player Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet arrive for the Inauguration of Donald J. Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Trump took office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Photo by Pool /Getty Images

Smith wines and dines in D.C.

On Sunday, the theme for the day was “North American energy dominance.” Trump’s threats of 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian products came up as Smith pointed out the United States has a $58 billion trade surplus with Canada when oil and gas is excluded.

“And that oil and gas is sold at a discount to U.S. refineries where over one million American workers triple its value by turning that oil and gas into fuel, plastics and other products that U.S. companies sell all over the world,” she said.

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“The U.S.-Canada trade and security relationship is the definition of mutually beneficial. Let’s not damage it, nor destroy the jobs of Canadian and American workers, with tariffs of any kind.”

Pictures on her official Facebook page touted a “great meeting” Sunday with Calgary’s TC Energy CEO Fran?ois Poirier in D.C. to discuss the vital role Canadian oil and gas plays in supporting energy security for the United States.

“Alberta’s resources are the backbone of North American energy, and we’re ready to do more. By expanding exports, we can power economies, create jobs, and strengthen our partnerships across the border. Together, we’ll continue to lead the way in responsible, reliable energy,” she posted on Facebook.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith meets with U.S. policy makers in Washington, D.C.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith meets with U.S. policymakers in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, ahead of the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Monday. Photo by Supplied Photo/Facebook

Smith was in high cotton at southern galas Saturday and Sunday evenings, elegant in a maroon velvet cap-sleeved ballgown with a front wrap design, glowing in photos with the Washington powerful at the Florida Sunshine gala and Texas Black Tie and Boots shindig.

Names dropped included governors and Trump cabinet nominees undergoing the confirmation process.

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“Had a great discussion last night with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (chair of the Governors’ Coalition for Energy Security which Alberta recently joined), and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (also a member of the coalition),” she wrote.

“Honoured to see my good friend North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (nominee for U.S. Interior Secretary and head of the U.S. Energy Council) as well as Chris Wright (nominee for U.S. Energy Secretary). Wishing them both all the very best as they go through their confirmation hearings and look forward to working with both to secure North American energy dominance.”

On Monday, Smith posted photos on social media of her with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, nominee for U.S. Secretary of State, and Peter Hegseth, nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense.

“In my view, Canada must meet its two per cent NATO commitment and deploy Canadian energy to support U.S. and Canadian defence and diplomatic priorities,” she wrote in her post.

In a statement to Postmedia, Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said he hopes Smith is making the “most of taxpayer’s money” while in Washington.

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“If she happens to get a chance to talk to anyone that matters at her balls and parties, we hope she can champion a Team Canada approach that will protect all our economic sectors, from oil and gas, agriculture, and manufacturing, from the ‘economic force’ the president has threatened to unleash on us,” Nenshi said.

Donald Trump is sworn as U.S. president by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Donald Trump is sworn as U.S. president by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Trump took office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. Photo by Pool /Getty Images

Security was tight with a beefed-up service bolstered by thousands of law enforcement and National Guard troops from around the United States, and would-be outdoor attendees clutching now-useless “commemorative” tickets were to be excluded.

Road closures around the Capitol to the White House extended up to the Washington Convention Center, and encompassed a “pedestrian-restricted” zone hemmed in with panelled metal fencing, limiting fringes to local traffic and allowing a vehicle screening perimeter near the Capitol One Arena.

Trump was sworn in as America’s oldest president at his inauguration, at 78 years and 220 days, passing President Joe Biden (78 years and 71 days) and President Ronald Reagan (69 years, 349 days).

The traditional inauguration parade was driven indoors to the Capital One Arena, and various balls to follow.

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Performers at the event include country stars Carrie Underwood, Lee Greenwood, Billy Ray Cyrus, Rascal Flatts, and Jason Aldean, as well as 70s icon The Village People, and opera singer Christopher Macchio. Presenters at a congressional national prayer service set for Tuesday morning included pastors, an imam, and a Catholic priest.

With files from the Associated Press, The Canadian Press and the National Post

ctran@postmedia.com

jcarmichael@postmedia.com

Recommended from Editorial
  1. Premier Danielle Smith in Calgary on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.
    Premier Danielle Smith goes to Washington: Inside Alberta's charm offensive to Trump's tariffs
  2. President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla.
    Alberta rejects Team Canada fight on Trump tariffs

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