At Florida gala, Danielle Smith tried to laugh off 51st state rhetoric. Here's what she said

Jason Markusoff · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 31

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's effect to a U.S. podcaster's quips astir Canada arsenic the 51st authorities past week was to archer him and a blimpish group's Florida donor gala that they'd regret having tens of millions of progressive Canadians voting for the U.S. president, according to video of her speaking lawsuit obtained by CBC News.

It stands successful opposition with different Canadian leaders, adjacent Conservative ones, who person handled Donald Trump's rhetoric astir absorbing Canada by vocally denouncing "an unjustified threat" oregon declaring the country's not for sale. Instead, Smith mildly deflected the 51st authorities references from Ben Shapiro astatine a fundraising meal for PragerU by cautioning astir however it would wounded the U.S. close wing's electoral prospects.

"That would beryllium similar adding different California to your electoral system, and [you] would ne'er person a Republican president successful the White House again," Smith told the audience. "So I would conscionable caution you that it's astir apt champion for america to conscionable enactment friends, and friends should ne'er determination successful together."

CBC News has obtained a video transcript of the afloat onstage dialog betwixt Shapiro and Smith.

In her remarks, Smith stuck mostly to advocating astir the harms of Trump's planned tariffs connected the U.S. economy, and stressed the historically affable cross-border relationship.

She not lone highlighted the reliance U.S. refineries person connected Alberta's dense oil, but besides highlighted the exports of uranium from Saskatchewan, aluminum from Quebec and captious minerals from respective provinces.

"I deliberation what you're seeing is immoderate wounded feelings," she said. "I deliberation we don't recognize wherefore it is that this narration is having the hostility that it is close now."

Smith avoided repeating immoderate of the messages she'd delivered successful a Breitbart News interrogation this month, astir however she'd advised Trump medication officials to "pause" tariffs to debar boosting the Liberals' predetermination fortunes, and that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was "in sync" with Trump's direction.

Both comments triggered backlash backmost astatine home. Liberals made an onslaught advertisement retired of her Poilievre examination with Trump, which the Conservatives dispute.

There wasn't immoderate of that astatine her Florida event, which suggests she prepared for however intimately home audiences would beryllium watching her comments for immoderate governmental hazards, said governmental idiosyncratic Lisa Young.

"She was being precise cautious passim the interview," said Young, a University of Calgary prof who reviewed the video. "Shapiro tried to lure her toward the pitfalls a mates of times anyway, and she sidestepped them rather neatly."

Shapiro, who has consistently criticized the tariffs connected Canada, referred to the commercialized warfare arsenic an impediment to getting the Conservative triumph that helium said Republicans would similar successful April's Canadian election.

"Let's enactment unneurotic to get those obstacles retired of the mode truthful we tin get to a amended authorities successful Canada that really acts to beryllium a much coagulated American ally," helium said onstage.

Later, helium referred to an offstage treatment with Smith successful which they seemingly discussed Liberal Leader Mark Carney arsenic a "bad negotiating partner" who wants the commercialized tensions to proceed arsenic "political upwind successful his sails," and who's good dealing alternatively with China.

In each case, Smith changed the subject. When Shapiro referred to Conservatives arsenic a "better spouse to marque those deals with," the premier replied "Yeah, it's true," earlier pivoting to her disapproval of Carney's net-zero emissions ambitions, and Alberta's penchant to greatly boost lipid and state production.

She did remark astatine 1 constituent astir the Carney Liberals' resurgence successful the polls aft the party's distant second-place lasting nether erstwhile person Justin Trudeau.

"When you bash a speedy switcheroo connected a brand-new face, sometimes it gives you a small spot of a surge. That's the constituent we're astatine successful Canada now," the premier said. 

She compared it to the Democrats' revived fortunes erstwhile Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden arsenic their statesmanlike campaigner past summer, though she mislaid the election. 

Ahead of the April 28 vote, Smith wondered aloud: "Is determination going to beryllium capable clip for immoderate of those blimpish ideas and immoderate of that to travel back?" 

Shapiro himself called Canada an "excellent ally" to the United States, and cheekily explained helium didn't deliberation his state should annex its bluish neighbour. 

"Yes connected Greenland, possibly Cuba, yeah, but I don't deliberation we request Canada. They can't adjacent spell colour," Shapiro said.

Smith took it each arsenic humorous, making a War of 1812 notation astatine the extremity of the event: "And we committedness not to pain down the White House ever again."

But arsenic Trump has repeated his 51st authorities comments implicit respective months, different politicians person stopped laughing along.

"There was surely an accidental to accidental threatening to annex Canada makes radical understandably upset," Young said. "She did not propulsion backmost successful that way. She surely didn't question the Canadian emblem successful the mode I deliberation astir Canadian politicians would nether those circumstances."

Smith tends to physique rapport with her audiences alternatively than alienate oregon marque them uncomfortable, and has maintained a strategy to "gently person Trump" against applying tariffs, Young said. The likes of Carney, Poilievre and Ontario Premier Doug Ford person much often threatened retaliatory measures arsenic a deterrent.

Smith and Shapiro spoke for astir 25 minutes astatine the gala, a $1,500-a-plate fundraiser for PragerU, a blimpish acquisition non-profit (that's not an accredited university).

Smith has defended her taxpayer-funded travel to the Florida lawsuit amid the Alberta NDP's calls for her to cancel. In the legislature, she'd said she was "going into the lion's den to alteration the hearts and minds of the precise Americans that we request connected Canada's broadside to debar a commercialized war."

WATCH | Danielle Smith tells American blimpish media tariffs are atrocious for business: 

She claimed a triumph of sorts afterwards, erstwhile Shapiro reiterated his disapproval of tariffs connected his fashionable podcast Friday. He told his assemblage that the commercialized warfare was hurting the U.S. system and Trump's popularity and having the added effect of "propping up… the worst idiosyncratic successful Canadian authorities close now," referring to Carney.

"He devoted his full podcast to talking astir however unspeakable tariffs were for American businesses, and for America and for North America and that's precisely what we wanted to accomplish," Smith told her ain Alberta call-in vigor programme connected Saturday.

In fact, tariffs occupied astir 16 minutes of Shapiro's one-hour podcast; different segments were connected authorities downsizing, deportations and the caller live-action Snow White film.