Calgary 
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is set to meet with her cabinet today and tomorrow to discuss the province’s response to new U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Credit: Alberta Newsroom/Flickr
The tariffs, announced earlier today, place a 25 per cent duty on all Canadian and Mexican goods, except for energy products, which face a 10 per cent tariff.
In a statement, Smith condemned the move, calling it an “unjustifiable economic attack” and a violation of the trade agreement signed by Trump during his first term. She warned that the tariffs would lead to higher costs for American consumers and significant job losses on both sides of the border.
The premier expressed Alberta’s support for the federal government’s countermeasures.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs of 25 per cent on $155 billion worth of U.S. goods. An initial $30 billion worth of American products, including orange juice, peanut butter, beer, coffee, apparel, and motorcycles, will face immediate tariffs, with duties on the remaining $125 billion set to follow in 21 days.
Smith emphasized the need for Alberta to reduce internal trade barriers and accelerate resource projects, including pipelines, LNG facilities, and critical minerals projects. She also called for stronger trade relationships with Europe, Asia, and the Americas, alongside increased military spending to bolster national security.
The Alberta government will reveal its response to the tariffs tomorrow after cabinet discussions conclude. Smith stated she will provide further details at that time.
Full Statement by Premier Danielle Smith:
“The tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are an unjustifiable economic attack on Canadians and Albertans. They also represent a clear breach of the trade agreement signed by this same U.S. President during his first term. These tariffs will hurt the American people, driving up costs for fuel, food, vehicles, housing and many other products. They will also cost hundreds of thousands of American and Canadian jobs. This policy is both foolish and a failure in every regard.
“This is not the way it should be between two of the world’s strongest trading allies and partners. We would much rather be working with the U.S. on mutually beneficial trade deals than be caught in the middle of a tariff war.
“Alberta fully supports the federal response announced today by the Prime Minister. I will be meeting with my cabinet today and tomorrow to discuss Alberta’s response to these illegal tariffs, which we will announce publicly tomorrow.
“Now is the time for us to unite as a province and a country. We must do everything in our collective power to immediately tear down provincial trade barriers and fast-track the construction of dozens of resource projects, from pipelines to LNG facilities to critical minerals projects. We must strengthen our trade ties throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas for all our energy, agricultural and manufactured products. We also need to drastically increase military spending to ensure we can protect our nation. There is no time to waste on any of these initiatives.
“I will have more to say tomorrow.”
