This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site.
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Author: Lisa Young, Professor of Political Science, University of Calgary
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith finds herself at the centre of controversy because of her refusal to be part of a 鈥淭eam sa国际传媒鈥� approach to Donald Trump鈥檚 tariff threats.
While other provincial premiers have signed on to a common approach, Smith visited the president-elect鈥檚 Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to make the case against tariffs 鈥� at least those affecting the Alberta oil and gas industry.
She refused to join the other first ministers in signing a statement committing to a unified approach.
She鈥檚 also signalled her disapproval of proposals to restrict energy exports or to impose an export tax on them if Trump exempts them from the tariffs.
This has angered many Canadians, including some Albertans.
Alberta oil exports
Smith鈥檚 maverick approach reflects Alberta鈥檚 unique economic circumstances, its internal politics and its longstanding conflicts with the federal government. Any effort to bring Alberta into a Team sa国际传媒 approach would have to take these factors into account.
sa国际传媒鈥檚 top export to the United States is energy products, mostly oil and gas. Almost all of the crude oil that sa国际传媒 exports goes to the U.S., and most of it comes from Alberta. Alberta exports about 80 per cent of the crude oil it produces.
Although it鈥檚 not sa国际传媒鈥檚 largest province, Alberta is sa国际传媒鈥檚 largest exporter to the U.S. That means the province鈥檚 economy is more exposed to the Trump鈥檚 tariff threats than any other province.
Crude oil exports to the U.S. are important both to the Albertan economy and to the provincial government鈥檚 finances. In 2024-25, royalties from bitumen are projected to be worth $15.6 billion to the Alberta government. Put another way, 20 per cent of the revenues the Alberta government expects to take in this fiscal year are from this source. This does not take into account revenue from corporate and income tax from the industry.
Internal politics
Alberta has a long history of ties to the U.S. Historian Nelson Wiseman has argued that American settlers who came to Alberta early in the 20th century shaped the province鈥檚 political culture along the lines of America鈥檚 rugged individualism. The rise of the oil industry created new ties between Alberta and Texas.
Prior to the 2024 election, Albertans were more likely than other Canadians to say that they would vote for Trump if they could vote in the American election. According to a Leger survey, 29 per cent of Albertans would have voted for Trump as compared to 21 per cent of Canadians.
Recent polling data from the Angus Reid Institute shows that the vast majority of Albertans (82 per cent) reject the idea of becoming the 51st state. Although this is a large majority, it is smaller than in the rest of the country at 90 per cent.
This means the number of voters who would view Smith鈥檚 visit to Mar-a-Lago positively is higher in Alberta than in other provinces. Given Smith鈥檚 populist orientation, it is reasonable to think her core supporters would be inclined to view the visit favourably.
Beefs with Ottawa
There is a long history of regional alienation in Alberta, dating back to 1905 when it became a province. Control over natural resources has been a persistent conflict between Alberta and Ottawa. These conflicts heightened in the early 1980s over the National Energy Program.
Since the election of Justin Trudeau鈥檚 Liberal government in 2015, there has been significant conflict over the province鈥檚 ability to build pipelines, the carbon tax and proposed regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Smith ran for her party鈥檚 leadership in 2022 on a platform of passing a Sovereignty Act to empower the province to refrain from enforcing federal laws. The legislation she eventually passed could not accomplish this within the rule of law, but did set out a framework for conflicts with Ottawa.
The day after announcing that she would not sign on to the Team sa国际传媒 approach, Smith released a social media statement that revisited several long-standing grievances with the federal government, including failure to ensure pipelines were built, efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and to treat Alberta taxpayers with respect when they contributed to equalization.
Is there common ground?
Having the largest exporting province outside the Team sa国际传媒 approach against Trump doesn鈥檛 position the country well to negotiate with a second Trump administration.
Public disputes over whether sa国际传媒 would limit exports to the U.S. have revealed at least part of sa国际传媒鈥檚 negotiating position.
Could Alberta be brought into the fold? The decades-long animosity between Alberta and the federal government makes it difficult to imagine. When a new prime minister tackles these challenges, it will be essential to take into account the economic and political circumstances that have brought sa国际传媒 to this point.
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Lisa Young does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/why-albertas-danielle-smith-is-rejecting-the-team-canada-approach-to-trumps-tariff-threats-247421
Lisa Young, Professor of Political Science, University of Calgary, The Conversation
