Alberta government recalibrating response to U.S. tariffs, says Premier Danielle Smith

Wallis Snowdon · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 12:46 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

The Alberta authorities is determining its adjacent steps aft a tumultuous week successful which the United States introduced steep tariffs past pulled backmost connected them 2 days later, Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.

"The implementation of tariffs earlier this week represented a monumental displacement successful our narration with the United States," Smith said during a code astatine the Alberta Municipalities outpouring acme and municipal caucus gathering successful Edmonton.

"We are inactive sorting done what this reprieve looks like." 

The state is determining whether to alteration its countermeasures successful response. More details volition beryllium released aboriginal Friday, Smith added.

On Wednesday, Alberta announced it would halt buying American intoxicant and halt contracting with U.S. companies successful effect to sweeping tariffs imposed the time before.

The measures besides included a halt on purchasing VLT machines from the U.S., an disbursal that amounts to astir $100 cardinal annually, Smith said Friday.

In a partial climbdown on Thursday, President Donald Trump said helium is pausing tariffs connected immoderate Canadian goods until April 2, offering a reprieve from across-the-board 25 per cent tariffs.

"It's precise frustrating.… The tariffs were unjustified and they're illegal," Smith said. 

Smith said the unpredictability of Trump's plans has already created an "administrative and method nightmare" for galore Alberta operators and exporters reliant connected the American proviso chain. 

She said she had spoken with a beef exporter successful confederate Alberta who owed hundreds of thousands of dollars for the 3 days that tariffs were successful place. The reprieve, she added, would necessitate different load of paperwork for products that were not tariffed but are not registered.

"There was nary inducement to registry earlier due to the fact that it was a zero rate," she said. "So businesses are going to person to get successful interaction with their lawyers to fig retired however to record each that paperwork successful bid to beryllium capable to bask the zero per cent tariff rate."

She said Albertans and Canadians indispensable stay steadfast successful the look of the escalating commercialized war. Governments need to interruption down internal commercialized barriers and promote consumers crossed the state to enactment Canadian businesses, she said.

"We expect things to alteration precise quickly," she said.