Alberta will stop buying American booze, step up efforts to buy Canadian in response to U.S. tariffs

Janet French · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 1:17 PM EST | Last Updated: March 6

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the provincial authorities volition debar purchasing U.S. goods and services and motorboat an advertizing run to assistance shoppers bargain Canadian products portion U.S tariffs persist.

"This economical onslaught connected our country, combined with Mr. Trump's continued speech of utilizing economical unit to facilitate the annexation of our country, has breached spot betwixt our 2 countries successful a profound way," Smith said astatine a quality league successful Medicine Hat, Alta., astir 145 kilometres from the U.S. border.

"It is simply a betrayal of a heavy and abiding friendship."

Smith said she has directed furniture to alteration authorities procurement — including by schoolhouse boards, Crown corporations and municipalities — to prioritize purchasing from suppliers successful Alberta, Canada and countries that are honouring Canadian commercialized agreements.

It's unclear if provincial entities volition beryllium banned from purchasing U.S. goods oregon services. A spokesperson for the premier's bureau said "the specifics of the implementation details volition beryllium provided successful the coming days."

Smith said Alberta's liquor and gaming bureau would facilitate no further purchases of American intoxicant oregon video lottery terminals. "We'll conscionable person to portion a spot much B.C. vino and Alberta trade brew and spirits and that's conscionable good with me," she added.

The premier said $292 cardinal worthy of U.S. liquor was sold successful Alberta past year. She estimated the state foregoing U.S. products could outgo that country's system astatine slightest $2 cardinal dollars a year.

Other provinces and territories person taken akin countermeasures since the U.S. authorities imposed tariffs Tuesday.

Alberta lipid and state a 'trump card' successful dispute

U.S. tariffs came into effect Tuesday greeting — 25 per cent connected astir Canadian goods, but 10 per cent connected lipid and state products. It has signalled a tit-for-tat quality implicit billions successful cross-border commercialized betwixt the allied nations. 

The national authorities is imposing 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs connected $30 cardinal worthy of American products and plans to grow them to screen different $125 cardinal successful goods successful 21 days. Trump has pledged to enforce counter-tariffs successful response.

Smith says she supports the national government's retaliatory tariffs, but stated connected Wednesday that she would not backmost export taxes connected Canadian lipid and state companies, saying it would wounded Canadians much than Americans.

She said assistance programs successful effect to tariffs should travel from the national government, which would cod immoderate other gross from retaliatory tariffs.

Smith called Canadian lipid and state products a "trump card" and a "secret weapon" successful the commercialized dispute, saying that the U.S. volition request to import Alberta products to conscionable its extremity of vigor dominance.

Alberta authorities officials volition enactment with market stores to assistance statement Canadian products and inquire shops to acquisition from Canadian vendors wherever possible, Smith said. As well, there volition beryllium a "substantial advertizing campaign" encouraging consumers to bargain Alberta products.

A spokesperson for the premier's office said the campaign would outgo astir $250,000  and would beryllium led by the Ministry of Agriculture, "to assistance Albertans to much easy entree accusation astir wherever assorted products connected store shelves are from."

The premier said Alberta's authorities volition besides enactment to further destruct interprovincial commercialized and idiosyncratic mobility barriers, and make caller markets for Alberta lipid and state products different than the U.S.

Smith besides spoke straight to Albertans, noting the roadworthy up would beryllium bumpy, lined with occupation losses, inflation and perchance large provincial deficits if tariffs stay successful spot for a prolonged period.

The state unveiled a fund past week with a projected $5.2-billion shortage and a $4-billion contingency money to respond to tariffs and different disasters.

U.S. President Donald Trump has shown nary motion of softening his stance and has present pledged to enforce additional, reciprocal tariffs connected America's commercialized partners.

He has said 1 rationale for the tariffs is to unit Canadian officials to halt the travel crossed the borderline of fentanyl and chemicals utilized to nutrient the deadly drug.

On Wednesday, Trump posted connected his societal media site, Truth Social, that helium told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this greeting thing has convinced him the travel of fentanyl crossed Canadian and Mexican borders has stopped.

"He said that it's gotten better, but I said, 'That's not bully enough.' The telephone ended successful a 'somewhat' affable manner!" Trump's station said. 

WATCH | Trump says tariffs are portion of the 'soul' of America:

Smith and different Alberta furniture ministers pushed backmost connected Wednesday, saying a provincial borderline interdiction squad launched earlier this twelvemonth has caught quality traffickers and cocaine being smuggled into Canada.

Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said that portion Canada is simply a nett exporter of fentanyl, determination are amerciable weapons, cocaine, crystal meth and migrants entering Canada from the U.S.

"In Alberta, we are doing our portion to unafraid the border," Ellis said. "I would surely inquire that the president bash his portion to unafraid the borderline arsenic well."

Smith said the U.S. needs a "reality check" if citizens think Canada unsocial tin halt Americans dying from cause poisonings.

"I can't halt each the deaths from happening successful the United States," she said. "They've got to bash immoderate of the enactment connected that, too."

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Smith is excessively congenial and forgiving of Trump. which helium said is simply a mistake, due to the fact that premiers who person taken much assertive retaliatory measures person had much success. Nenshi pointed to Ontario Premier Doug Ford pledging to chopped disconnected energy to the U.S.

On Wednesday, the U.S. authorities announced a one-month intermission connected automobile tariffs.

"We person to usage the champion tools we have," Nenshi said. "That means taking thing disconnected the table. That means showing our teeth erstwhile we request to amusement our teeth. It means threatening erstwhile we request to threaten. It means giving up concessions erstwhile we request to springiness up."