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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling on Ottawa to get back to the negotiating table with the United States before its counter-tariffs take effect in two weeks.
Smith, in a statement posted online Tuesday, said tariffs and counter-tariffs only risk further escalating the trade war between Canada and its southern neighbour.
The federal government announced Tuesday its plan to implement retaliatory tariffs starting Sept. 8 on a range of U.S. exports, ranging from steel and aluminum to consumer items, including smartphones and golf clubs.
It also announced relief and support measures for businesses to withstand the trade fight.
Smith said in her statement that she appreciates Ottawa’s plan to support businesses and that her government is working to see if provincial relief is also necessary.
“Alberta’s government remains concerned that tariffs and counter-tariffs increase costs, disrupt supply chains, put pressure on businesses and workers, and ultimately risk escalation to even higher and broader tariffs that will impact even more Canadians,” her statement said.
“There is still time before these counter-tariffs take effect on Sept. 8, and I am urging the federal government to use that time to get back to the negotiating table with the United States.”
Smith has been a holdout among provincial and territorial leaders when it comes to putting their support behind Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan for counter-tariffs.
The U.S. tariffs kicked in over the weekend, after Carney called off talks while citing unacceptable terms being sought by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
Smith said Tuesday that her focus is on protecting jobs and businesses in Alberta.
A spokesperson for Alberta’s Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Minister Joseph Schow said a preliminary analysis — based on a five-year average — showed the Canadian counter-tariffs would affect about 11.1 per cent of U.S. imports into Alberta.
That represents about $4.8 billion worth of materials and goods being exposed, the spokesperson said.
Opposition calls for action
Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called upon the Alberta government to take further steps to push back against new U.S. tariffs and demonstrate that the province is on “Team Canada.”
The Opposition said the province should reinstate a ban on U.S. alcohol sales, which it cancelled last year about three months after putting the restriction in place.
Nenshi said Smith must also postpone an Oct. 19 referendum, which includes a question about whether Alberta should remain a part of Canada, or begin the legal process to hold a binding referendum on leaving the country.
Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says the Smith government is weakening Canada’s negotiating position with the U.S. by showing division. (Manuel Carrillos Avalos/CBC)
Nenshi said the vote is creating a weakness too easy for the Trump administration to exploit.
“It is absolutely time for us to send a message to the United States that Canada is united, that parts of Canada are not ready and willing to be taken over by the United States,” he said.
Nenshi also joined former conservative Alberta premiers Jason Kenney and Alison Redford in saying he believes Smith has been too quick to rule out using tariffs on oil and gas exports as potential leverage in the trade dispute.
“Nobody wants us to turn off the taps to the United States,” Nenshi said in Calgary on Tuesday.
“When you’re negotiating, especially when you’re negotiating with a bully, you don’t start with one hand tied behind your back.”
In response, Schow issued a statement that said using oil and gas as a bargaining chip could put at least 140,000 people’s jobs at risk.
Schow said in 2025, about 86 per cent of the province’s exports were to the U.S., and oil and gas were the bulk of those exports. The statement said the U.S. is Alberta’s biggest trading partner, and that’s unlikely to change soon without new pipelines allowing energy products to be exported to Canada’s coasts.
“Putting at risk hundreds of thousands of jobs in our largest industry is foolish, irresponsible and is certainly unbecoming of someone who believes they should ever be premier for the province of Alberta,” he said.
In response to calls to postpone the referendum and restrict U.S alcohol sales, the premier’s press secretary, Sam Blackett, pointed to comments Smith made on her regular Corus radio show, Your Province. Your Premier., on Saturday.
In answers to callers’ questions, she said Albertans can make their own decisions about whether they want to consume U.S. products.
“Part of the reason why we’ve had a light touch of tariffs on Alberta, is that we’ve engaged in a very constructive diplomatic relationship with the United States,” she said on Saturday.
On her radio show, Smith also said that hundreds of thousands of Albertans had signed two citizen initiative petitions requesting different referendum questions on Canadian unity or Alberta independence. She said the referendum must go ahead so her government can get a definitive answer on where the people of Alberta stand on a desire to pursue independence from Canada.