How does Danielle Smith's tariff strategy measure up to that of other premiers?

Emily Rae Pasiuk · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 13, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Premier Danielle Smith is erstwhile again headed to the U.S. aboriginal this period to proceed her diplomatic attack to tariff talks amid a commercialized warfare with the United States.

Smith volition question to South Florida astatine taxpayers' disbursal to speech astir tariffs with blimpish podcaster Ben Shapiro. Their speech is portion of a fundraiser for a non-profit enactment called PragerU.

The Alberta premier's strategy contrasts with the attack of provincial leaders like Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose aggressive actions see ripping up a $100-million net work woody with Elon Musk's Starlink and threatening to taxation energy exports to the U.S. On Tuesday, helium agreed to suspend that action pending upcoming talks with U.S. officials.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump was elected successful November, Smith has stressed diplomacy arsenic a cardinal governmental strategy. She visited Trump astatine Mar-a-Lago successful mid-January, the archetypal premier to bash truthful aft helium threatened tariffs connected Canadian goods.

This week, Smith is successful Houston for the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference, which has been described arsenic the Super Bowl of energy. According to the blimpish media outlet Breitbart News Network, Smith spoke with its Washington bureau main connected the vigor Saturday astir trade, tariffs and Canada's response. 

Although Smith has precocious supported Canada's response, her efforts person been criticized in the past arsenic flouting the "Team Canada" approach.

Why spell this route?

The 2 types of strategy — Smith's diplomacy versus Ford's nonstop actions — some person merits, said Greg Anderson, a governmental subject prof astatine the University of Alberta.

And some person caught the attraction of Americans.

WATCH | How is Ontario Premier Doug Ford's tariff strategy working? 

Smith has made it a constituent to look successful media — like Breitbart and Fox News — that Republicans, including Trump, are watching. Anderson said that strategy is thing that has been portion of the Alberta playbook for decades to tout the value of the province's vigor sector.

On apical of that, Smith has besides made it a constituent to marque regular trips to the U.S., Anderson said successful an interrogation Tuesday.

"Sometimes these things wage dividends, conscionable successful presumption of 'Hey, radical are alert of what's going connected present and what radical are trying to do."

Where is Smith going?

The South Florida lawsuit is simply a gala fundraiser for Prager University Foundation (PragerU), which — contempt its sanction — is not an accredited assemblage and does not clasp classes oregon assistance degrees. 

The U.S. non-profit describes itself connected its website arsenic promoting "American values done abbreviated acquisition videos for radical of each ages." 

"Young Americans are being fed poisonous lies astir the top state connected Earth by our media, culture, and particularly our acquisition establishment," reads its 2024 yearly report. "PragerU is medicine for the mind, educating young radical with the information astir America's unparalleled liberty, endless opportunities, and motivation goodness." 

Its enactment has expanded to see abbreviated books, acquisition plans and worksheets. 

Smith and Shapiro are the featured speakers astatine PragerU's East Coast Gala connected March 27. Single tickets to the lawsuit outgo $1,500 US. 

Shapiro describes himself arsenic a blimpish governmental commentator with 14.9 million combined followers connected YouTube and X. His views are seen arsenic arguable and immoderate experts say his contented is utilized by extremist, far-right groups.

Sam Blackett, Smith's property secretary, said the premier's question and accommodation costs are being covered by the government.

"A cardinal portion of the premier's U.S. advocacy is advancing Alberta and Canada's connection with the American people," Blackett said successful an emailed statement.

"Given Ben Shapiro has millions of followers connected societal media, beardown connections wrong President Donald Trump's administration, and believes the U.S. should little tariffs connected Canada … this lawsuit provides the accidental for the premier to stock and advocator for Alberta's and Canada's interests to millions of Americans and different cardinal allies of the administration."

Naheed Nenshi, person of Alberta's New Democrats, called connected Smith to cancel the event, citing extremist views of Shapiro and the optics of participating successful a fundraising lawsuit for a blimpish platform. 

"This American speaking circuit won't trim Trump tariffs, but it volition nonstop a awesome to Albertans that Danielle Smith is focused connected her extremist base, not connected them," Nenshi said successful a statement. 

Will the strategy work?

Anderson said Smith is simply gathering Americans wherever they are.

"Say what you similar astir Prager oregon Ben Shapiro … immoderate of these figures," helium said. "But if you're trying to scope those successful powerfulness successful the United States these days, that's who you request to talk with, due to the fact that radical are listening."

Anderson acknowledged immoderate Albertans volition disagree with Smith's determination to participate.

He said Smith's choices are either to cull those types of outlets and not get her connection out — oregon she tin prosecute them, with caution.

WATCH | PragerU Kids publishes videos with problematic content: 

Amarnath Amarasingam, an subordinate prof astatine Queen's University, agrees Smith should attack the lawsuit with care.

Trump's usage of alternative media has influenced different politicians to use podcasts and different online spaces to dispersed argumentation ideas and messaging, said Amarasingam, an adept successful extremism, conspiracy theories, online communities and more.

"She tin benignant of talk straight to an under-35, politically blimpish assemblage without immoderate real-time fact-checking oregon real-time pushback. So that's a precise comfy abstraction to beryllium in," helium said.

Amarasingam said she could question retired much reputable blimpish spaces but added, "I deliberation she is prioritizing assemblage and virality and online dissemination implicit the benignant of ick origin that would travel with being associated with a radical similar this."

But Smith's planned quality astatine the fundraiser makes small consciousness to Kevin Kruse, a past prof astatine Princeton University.

He said the venue could compromise her extremity of straightforward speech astir tariffs.

"If she wants to propulsion backmost against that successful beforehand of that audience, sure, that would beryllium a invaluable thing," helium said.

"But mostly what I've seen with radical who spell connected those shows is they mostly motion and grin and hold with their questioners and they don't truly propulsion back. So if that's the case, if she's conscionable determination to curry favour with them, I deliberation that's a immense mistake and a missed opportunity."