Smith Fires Back on Tariffs & Border
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Summary
A look at Alberta's response to the 25% U.S. tariffs on all Canadian goods sold to the United States, with the exception of energy at a rate of up to 10%. Also, the most recent developments in the Jasper saga showed that Jasper residents are beginning to move into interim housing as the recovery continues.
Transcript
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Alberta responded to U.S. tariffs with various measures, threats, and said that the province
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was doing a lot to respond to border issues, but suggested that U.S. President Donald Trump
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might need to start doing more. The province also introduced compassionate intervention
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for drug users that will include mandatory drug treatment for those who are an extreme
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risk to society or themselves. Also, the most recent developments in the Jasper saga showed
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that Jasper residents are beginning to move into interim housing as the recovery continues.
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All that and more on today's episode. My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup,
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and let's hop into Alberta's response to the tariffs right away. So there's a lot to cover
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with Alberta's recent response to the U.S. tariffs as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and
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several of her ministers hosted a nearly hour-long press conference on Wednesday.
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She said that U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods sold to the United
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States, with the exception of energy at 10%, was a clear violation of the North American
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Free Trade Agreement, or COUSMA, that Trump himself signed during his first term.
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Smith said that this was a betrayal of a deep and abiding friendship built over the 100 years
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of shared history between Canada and the U.S. Smith introduced four measures in response
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to the tariffs. Firstly, she directed government agencies to purchase all needed goods and services
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from Albertan or Canadian companies. Secondly, she said that no further purchases of U.S. alcohol
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or VLTs would be permitted through AGLC. She didn't go as far as Ontario Premier Doug Ford
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as pulling already purchased and taxed liquor off the shelves, but still. Third, Smith instructed
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her government to assist grocers and retailers in labeling Canadian products in stores and
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asked them to purchase their stocks from vendors in Alberta or Canada. Lastly, Smith said she
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would enter into free trade and labor mobility agreements with any province willing to do
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so. The Premier also said she had a trump card. She said the following.
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I also want to point out that Canada has a secret weapon in this trade conflict with the United
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States. A trump card, so to speak. And it is located directly under our feet. And it is called Alberta
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Energy. You see, Alberta happens to have one of the largest deposits of oil and natural gas on the
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planet. It is significantly larger and far more accessible than the quickly declining oil and gas
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reserves located in the United States. Whether the U.S. president wishes to admit it or not, the United States
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not only needs our oil and gas today, they are also going to need it more and more with each passing
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year. Once they notice their declining domestic reserves and production are wholly insufficient to
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keep up with the energy demands of U.S. consumers and industry, let alone having anything left over to
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export as they do today. Smith went on to say that she'd love to send more oil and gas to the U.S. to
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help them become an energy behemoth. She said that the U.S. cannot be anything close to energy
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dominant without Alberta's help. Full stop. But she said that Alberta can't partner with the United
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States with a 10% tariff on energy, violating an agreement that the country itself signed.
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Smith said other countries will gladly buy Canada's oil and gas. She made the following threat.
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So until our U.S. friends come back to reality, we will focus on efforts and financial means to export
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one of the largest oil and gas deposits in the world elsewhere. We will look to our own nations west
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and east and north coasts. We will partner with industry, provinces, First Nations, and the federal
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government to build multiple oil and gas pipelines to all of our coasts for the purpose of dramatically
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increasing Canadian energy sold to Asia and to Europe. And as soon as the U.S. government is prepared
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to respect our country and to treat us as allies and partners again, we will welcome the opportunity
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to partner with them to achieve North American energy dominance. Of course, for this strategy to work in
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Alberta, we will need to see a significant attitude adjustment from many of our fellow Canadian
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political leaders with respect to the importance of unlocking and exporting Canadian energy around
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the world. But I'm confident that Canadians want exactly that right now and that they will elect
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politicians who share that view regardless of who they may have supported previously. Alberta is
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counting on it. No nation on earth has more resource wealth per person than Canada. We have the
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potential to be an energy and economic juggernaut, able to punch well above our weight class and
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virtually anything from energy to manufacturing to technology to military defence. As Canadians,
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if we're going to survive this dispute with our neighbours in the short term and win in the long
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term, we must commit to this strategy. No more excuses. It's time to start building pipe,
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developing resources and constructing new ports on every coast without further delay.
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Wow, a lot to get through there, I know. But I didn't expect Smith to make such a serious threat
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to the US that we would take our oil and gas elsewhere. Let me know what you think of Smith's
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response in the comments. And I recommend that you watch the whole press conference as there was a
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lot of good stuff in there. And we definitely don't have enough time to cover on this show.
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But sticking with the same press conference, but moving to a slightly different aspect, that being
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the Alberta government touting its recent border security enhancements and successes,
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while suggesting that the US could do more. Smith said, quote,
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The issue we're facing in Alberta at our border appears to be drugs coming up from the US into
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Canada, whether it's cocaine or crystal meth. The issue of migrants seem to be exclusively people
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coming across from the United States into Canada. Alberta's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency
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Services, Mike Ellis, made a similar suggestion when he said, quote,
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Certainly in Alberta, we are doing our part to secure the border. I would certainly ask that
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the president do his part to secure the border as well. Ellis said the new Alberta Sheriff
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Interdiction Patrol team already has 20 members assigned to patrol entry points on Alberta's
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side of the border. He said that 31 additional members will be assigned to the team in the
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coming months. He said the team is already making a notable difference and that Alberta's
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side of the border is secure. He added that Alberta hasn't just been addressing the fentanyl
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crisis at the border, but working with municipalities to combat crime and fentanyl
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province-wide, citing the success of Alberta law enforcement response teams in removing fentanyl
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superlabs. Alberta unveiled its border security plan back in December 2024. Smith said the deployment
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of interdiction teams, sniffer dogs, vehicle inspections, drones, and Blackhawk helicopters proves
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that the province is doing its part. She said, quote,
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That's a demonstration we're doing our part. We're wanting the US to match our efforts as well.
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Let's stamp out the scourge of fentanyl. We all want to eliminate it, but it's going to take a
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joint effort working collaboratively, and I think some recognition that it's a two-way street.
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Smith argued that the opioid crisis originated in the US, pointing to Purdue Pharma's aggressive
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marketing of OxyContin. She said the US should take responsibility for being a net exporter of
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cocaine, crystal meth, and other illicit drugs. Smith said, quote,
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I can't stop all the deaths from happening in the United States. They've got to do some work on
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that too. We can certainly decrease them as we've demonstrated in Alberta, when she revealed that
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Alberta's recovery-based approach has reduced opioid deaths by 40%. Alberta's Minister of Justice,
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Mickey Amory, said that the recently implemented critical border zone, or red zone, is showing early
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success. However, Amory noted that more needs to be done. He reiterated his call for the federal
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government to repeal Bill C-5 and reintroduce mandatory minimum sentences for Controlled
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Drugs and Substance Act offenses. The bill cannot be repealed right now, as Parliament is prorogued
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until March 24th, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requested as much until the Liberals complete
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their leadership election on March 9th. An inspector with the Alberta sheriffs, Ken Howdle, revealed that
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the interdiction patrol team is actively patrolling all access points on Alberta's shared border with the
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U.S. Howdle revealed some of the key arrests and apprehensions already made. He said three
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individuals were apprehended with cocaine with intent to traffic. Additionally, one traffic stop
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revealed human trafficking, and other traffic stops removed 34 impaired drivers from the highways.
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Four vehicles were also stopped for failing to stop for inspection at the border heading north.
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These instances are clear proof that the interdiction patrol team's presence in the area is playing an
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important role in both disrupting cross-border criminal activity and maintaining safety and order
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that surrounding communities depend on. Now hopping to a different provincial story not related to
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tariffs, Alberta announced in its 2025 budget that $180 million would be allocated over three years
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to build two compassionate intervention centers, each with 150 secure beds. Construction is set to
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begin in 2026 and be completed by 2029. Smith said, quote,
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For those suffering from addiction, there are two paths. They can let their addiction destroy and
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take their life, or they can enter recovery. Alberta's government is committed to providing
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a recovery-oriented system of care to ensure that those suffering from addiction have the
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opportunity to rebuild their lives. While announcing the measure, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction,
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Dan Williams, celebrated Alberta's track record in battling the opioid crisis while taking aim at British
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Columbia. He said that Alberta reported a 39% decline in opioid deaths in the first 10 months of 2024
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compared to 2023, whereas British Columbia saw an only 13% decrease. Williams said Alberta's opioid death
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reduction rate was 300% higher than any other jurisdiction in Canada. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said there
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were two key ways to fight the opioid crisis. She said one is through policing, which she said is being
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addressed through her border security plan to stop fentanyl flowing over the border. Smith said the second
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way to focus on the victims is by emphasizing recovery. She said, quote,
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Compassionate intervention is going to create a process to order those people into care so they
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can get the treatment that they need, get clear-minded, have their brains heal from their addiction,
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and hopefully set them up for a lifetime of success in sobriety. Despite Alberta leading the country,
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Williams said it isn't enough for those who are unwilling or unable to find a way into treatment.
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He cited a case where an individual overdosed 186 times in one year, a figure he said is likely even
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higher as not all overdoses are reported. Williams said, quote,
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The last thing that I want to see or anybody wants to see is that be one of our family members or
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friends and it be the 187th time that takes that individual's life. We will not sit back while we
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watch this happen to Alberta, to our loved ones and our communities, and to the loved ones and our
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family who are suffering from this deadly disease of addiction. He pointed to the policies promoted by
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British Columbia's NDP government as an example of what not to do. He said, quote,
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No more facilitation of failed policies coming out of the West Coast, and activists who think that we
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shouldn't be trying to help people with health care and heal them, but instead continue and facilitate the harm,
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We care for the sense of public safety that is being eroded as well under the policies we see
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under the Vancouver model. It's time for a different path that restores hope and humanity
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and dignity to families and individuals. He said that Albertans deserve more than policies that have
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led to the chaos seen in the Vancouver neighborhood of East Hastings and increasingly across other
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communities. Two Albertans shared devastating stories of their family members who couldn't overcome
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addiction. They said that compassionate intervention might have saved them. One of the Albertans,
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My heart shattered as my son stepped away from the sanctuary of our harm, choosing the grip of drugs
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over the stability of our home, family, school, and a future. Each night, the silence of his absence
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pressing down on us as we lay awake, overwhelmed by worry and fear of where he might be and whether he was safe.
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I found myself making the unbearable call that no parent ever wishes to make. I reported my son missing.
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The days turned into desperate searches of downtown Calgary, combed through homeless shelters,
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and chasing down any lead. For agonizing weeks, our lives were engulfed in a suffocating uncertainty,
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the dread of not knowing if he was even alive. When EMS responded to a young male overdosing on a train
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is when I finally found him. I picked him up from the hospital and jumped into action again,
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desperately seeking programs, both familiar and unexplored, grabbing at anything to help him.
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And yet, we found ourselves trapped in a relentless cycle of setback, each more devastating than the last.
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He has attended numerous detox centers and residential treatment.
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It is essential to understand that those suffering from severe addiction may not be able to choose treatment rationally.
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The notion of choice is almost non-existing as everything important pales in comparison
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What they truly need is compassion and a safe environment to stay in until they are sober and ready to re-engage with their lives.
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Long-term treatment is necessary for individuals to have the time to regain their cognitive abilities,
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relearning life's essential skills, and distance themselves from the harmful influences that fuel their addiction.
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As a mother, I should have the ability to ask for my son to receive secure addiction treatment,
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as one would for a loved one facing psychiatric challenges.
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An individual in active addiction typically do not believe they need help.
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They will insist they are fine and plan to get clean soon,
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yet this is often not possible without significant intervention.
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I am grateful for Alberta's government because they have acknowledged the growing crisis in Alberta
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and are committed to proactive programs aimed at saving our loved ones.
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I believe compassionate intervention could break the cycle of addiction,
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repeated treatment, incarceration, homelessness, and the ultimate fear of death.
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We must intervene to help people like my son reclaim their lives.
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Let me know what you think of this legislation and the mother's story.
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While Williams was reluctant to discuss the upcoming legislation in great detail before it was implemented,
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he said this was a health care policy, not a justice policy.
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He said that family members, guardians, law enforcement, and health care professionals
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could petition those who are an extreme risk to society or themselves to be forced into care.
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He added that a commission will be appointed to protect civil liberties.
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Now, hopping into our last story today on a slightly brighter note,
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the first wave of Jasper residents displaced by the wildfires began moving into interim housing on Wednesday.
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They will continue to move back over the next few months.
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Co-director of the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre with Parks Canada, Amy Cairns,
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said that Parks Canada allocated 4.25 hectares of land in the town of Jasper,
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Parks Canada procured more than 300 units of housing,
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consisting of 100 duplex trailers and 120 dorm-style trailers.
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Logan Ireland, the Municipal Recovery Project Manager for the Coordination Centre,
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and himself a Jasperite, said that the first step was to move the debris from the town.
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He explained that 98% of demolition permits have been issued to destroy properties,
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and half of the properties have already had the debris removed.
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Ireland said that Jasper is on track to begin the rebuild in May 2025,
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aiming to have the first houses built 8-10 months after that,
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when some Jasperites can relocate to their previous properties.
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The Canadian Red Cross is partnering on the project to provide property management services to Jasper.
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The charitable organization is helping manage and maintain interim housing and sites,
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administer leases and collect payments, manage utilities and more.
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Parks Canada revealed that 70 seasonal campsites are reserved for interim housing in 2025,
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While some Jasper residents are finally able to return to their town, many remain displaced.
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Alberta's municipal elections are set for October 2025.
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Rick McIver, Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs, adjusted the province's election rules
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to allow displaced Jasper residents to vote in the upcoming election.
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It's the family and friends event at Shoppers Drug Mart.
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Get 20% off almost all regular-priced merchandise.
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If the residents were able to do so before the wildfires,
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either for a seat on the town council or for their local school board,
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irrespective of where they are currently living.
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the first comment I want to highlight today is a lengthy one that came from
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Yeah, this was in response to my question from last episode about the differing responses
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from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Jordan Peterson in response to Trump's tariffs.
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Your comment aligns with what Peterson was saying,
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that being that Trudeau has to offer Alberta something better than what the United States are.
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And Smith suggested that Albertans don't want this.
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I'd be interested to see, via a referendum, how Albertans actually feel,
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especially if the U.S. was offering the province a clearly better deal than the federal government was.
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The next comment comes from atperlyq3560, who said, quote,
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Yeah, this was a recurring theme of people being against this train
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that I saw pop up in the comments of the last video.
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It seems that amid our cost-of-living crisis and now tariff threat,
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that Canadians think our money could be spent better elsewhere,
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or perhaps even put against our now more than $1.2 trillion in debt.
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The last comment I'll highlight today comes from at wyvern088, who said, quote,
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Join the states or not, there's no future for Alberta and Canada.
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Unless you live in Quebec or Ontario, your vote is worthless.
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And that's what's baked into our useless constitution.
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We've never been treated like equal partners in this country, and we never will.
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I'd prefer the entire West leave and become independent,
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but if joining America is the only option on the table,
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there's no reason to stay, and 600 billion reasons to leave.
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Yeah, I thought it'd be useful to highlight this comment,
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especially with the federal election potentially coming up.
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Almost every time in these federal elections I've noticed over my life,
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I see the same thing, that they call the election
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before the votes in Western Canada are even counted.
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So in that sense, we don't really determine our destiny, but Eastern Canada does.
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do you have any ideas on how that could be changed in the future?
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That wraps up our comment roundup and this week's show.
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My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup.