'No choice' but to react to U.S. tariffs, Alberta premier says in supporting federal response

Natasha Riebe · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 04, 2025 1:03 PM EST | Last Updated: March 4

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says U.S. tariffs are "an unjustifiable economical onslaught connected Canadians and Albertans" that correspond a wide breach of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico escaped commercialized agreement.

"These tariffs volition wounded the American people, driving up costs for fuel, food, vehicles, lodging and galore different products," Smith said successful a connection Tuesday.

"They volition besides outgo hundreds of thousands of American and Canadian jobs. This argumentation is some foolish and a nonaccomplishment successful each regard."

U.S. tariffs came into effect Tuesday morning — 25 per cent connected astir Canadian goods, but 10 per cent connected lipid and state products.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instantly announced retaliatory tariffs connected $30 cardinal worthy of American goods.

In her statement, Smith said Alberta "fully supports the national response." She said she volition conscionable with her furniture Tuesday and Wednesday to sermon Alberta's response. Details volition beryllium announced Wednesday, she said. 

Earlier Tuesday, Smith was interviewed connected CNBC astir the tariffs.

"To spot this escalation is truthful disappointing, truthful damaging initially to American consumers and American businesses who bargain Canadian goods and earthy materials," Smith told the U.S. cablegram quality channel.

Americans and Canadians alike volition consciousness the effects of the tariffs, Smith said.

"No 1 wins a tariff war," she said.

"I don't cognize wherefore the president is behaving this mode due to the fact that it's illegal. We're going to situation it and we would similar to get backmost to negotiating immoderate of the unit points connected that."

Greg Anderson, a University of Alberta governmental subject professor, said the tariffs are unprecedented and difficult to program for.

"The extent of the ties, the decades of integration betwixt the 2 countries person truly connected proviso chains, connected concern activity, oriented it north-south successful ways that are truly hard to unwind," Anderson told CBC News successful an interrogation Tuesday. 

Watch | Premiers respond to tariffs:

With the U.S. system already struggling with inflation, falling user sentiment and worries astir occupation security, the tariffs travel astatine a susceptible time, helium said. 

"So Americans are going to astatine immoderate constituent consciousness the existent pinch," Anderson said. 

On Tuesday, Smith said Canada's premiers are lasting agreed and volition see other retaliatory measures, specified arsenic replacing American goods with other sources wrong Canada and Mexico.

"We don't privation to get there," she said connected CNBC. "I mean, we don't privation to escalate, we don't privation to retaliate, but we person nary prime but to person an adjacent and proportionate response."

She said Americans request to recognize that Canada is its champion customer. "We bargain much goods and services from you than anyone other successful the world."

The tariffs means Canadians volition conscionable commencement buying little from the U.S., she said.

"It doesn't marque consciousness to dainty your biggest lawsuit this way."

Diplomatic approach 

The tariffs travel 1 period aft Smith credited diplomatic efforts for helping Trump contented a impermanent reprieve connected the promised tariffs.

"The information that you can't necktie that strategy to thing circumstantial successful presumption of a argumentation alteration doesn't mean it was needfully a discarded of clip oregon a useless effort due to the fact that it whitethorn wage dividends down the road," Anderson said. 

• Alberta premier says diplomacy wins aft Trump grants tariff reprieve
• As Trump renews tariff threat, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith calls for diplomacy, not retaliation

Import tariffs and export taxes volition beryllium a blistery debate, Anderson said, arsenic Canadian provinces determine however to retaliate.

Efforts astatine the border

Smith told CNBC that Canada has put up drones, helicopters and much unit on its borderline with the U.S. to halt amerciable immigration and cross-border trafficking of drugs.

"We've been stopping drugs, we've brought those numbers down," she said.

The Canada-U.S. Mexico Agreement has served the countries well, Smith said.

No retaliation connected energy

Smith said she doesn't program to impose counter-tariffs connected U.S. vigor products, noting that vigor is indispensable for American consumers and American businesses.

Smith noted the 4.3 cardinal barrels of lipid a time that goes to the United States from Canada.

"We privation to marque definite that that travel continues, albeit it's going to beryllium a small spot much costly due to the fact that of the 10 per cent tariffs."

In her statement, Smith said Alberta and Canada indispensable teardrop down interprovincial commercialized barriers and fast-track the operation of assets projects, including pipelines and LNG facilities and captious minerals projects.

Canada indispensable fortify different planetary commercialized ties and "drastically summation subject spending to guarantee we tin support our nation," she said.

On CNBC, the premier expressed vexation that the tariffs person arrived successful spite of all efforts to code each the issues Trump has raised.

"New issues support connected popping up, which suggests that we've got a president that really doesn't privation a deal," she said.

"So what that means is that we person to beryllium prepared that this mightiness not conscionable beryllium a one-week occupation oregon a one-month problem, [it] mightiness beryllium a four-year problem. And 4 years is simply a agelong time."

Anderson besides wonders however agelong the tariffs volition last, saying the situation is unpredictable.

"There's a precise bully accidental that Trump's economical measures volition extremity up successful American courts and beryllium challenged by home interests," helium said. 

"I don't privation to enactment any bets connected however impermanent they'll be. Could beryllium tonight. He mightiness instrumentality a triumph thigh astatine the State of the Union code and past usage them arsenic bargaining chips and you could spot them dissipate precise quickly."