Alberta Cabinet Ministers to Visit Washington for National Prayer Breakfast, Bilateral Talks

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health for Alberta, makes an announcement in Calgary on December 21, 2023. Todd Korol/The Canadian Press

Three Alberta cabinet ministers will travel to Washington, D.C., next week to represent the province at the National Prayer Breakfast and meet with U.S. officials to discuss Alberta-U.S. relations.

Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams, and Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf will make up Alberta’s delegation for the Feb. 6 National Prayer Breakfast.

During their visit, the ministers will also meet with industry leaders and members of the U.S. Congress to bolster ties between Alberta and the United States, the province said in a Jan. 30 press release.

“For more than seven decades, thousands have gathered in Washington D.C. at the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event in prayer on behalf of those elected to serve,” the province said. “This year, Alberta’s government is proud to be sending a delegation of three ministers to represent the province and strengthen relationships with one of Alberta’s top trading partners.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith met with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month in Florida, and with a number of U.S. officials and industry leaders in Washington, to discuss Canada-U.S. relations.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Jan. 31 announced Trump’s plans to follow through on his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada starting Feb. 1. Smith has previously said that if tariffs are imposed, her province would “wait and see” what they look like before laying out a response, which she says must be “proportionate and reasonable.”

Since Trump first announced tariffs on Canada and Mexico last November, Smith has made diplomatic efforts to defend tariff-free trade, making the case for Canada as a reliable trading partner and for Alberta as a source of clean, affordable oil and gas.

While some premiers have favoured a retaliatory approach in response to threats, Smith has opposed the measure, arguing that addressing the U.S. administration’s concerns is a more effective approach.

The province will also be sending two MLAs on Feb. 3 to “help to reinforce conversations that Premier Smith had with lawmakers and officials in the U.S.,” according to a Jan. 30 press release.

Alberta MLAs Shane Getson and Justin Wright will travel to Salem, Oregon, to meet with U.S. legislators and officials during events organized by the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region, an economic partnership representing five U.S. states and five Canadian provinces and territories, including Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon.