Alberta Premier Smith Says She Is ‘Good Cop’ in US Tariff Negotiations

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Ottawa on April 10, 2025. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA—Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is playing the role of the “good cop” in negotiations with United States officials over tariffs placed on Canada, with the goal of changing the minds of those in the administration.

“The way I look at it is that you have to meet people where they are. I believe in diplomacy,” Smith said during a fireside chat at the Strong and Free Conference in Ottawa on April 10. “You can have a good cop, bad cop approach. I prefer to be the good cop.”

Smith said given Canada’s integrated and lengthy relationship with the United States, the country needs to keep lines of communication open. “But if you don’t ... then I think it has the potential to really get out of control. And I want to just make sure that we constantly have a relationship with the United States,” Smith said.

Smith has previously faced criticism by some, including the Alberta NDP, for her efforts approaching the Americans over the tariffs.

On Jan. 15, Smith also refused to sign a joint statement on a response to the tariffs with the federal government and premiers, as she was opposed to Ottawa potentially putting export tariffs on oil and gas. However, she has expressed her disappointment with Trump putting tariffs on Canada and has supported counter-tariffs.

‘Change Hearts and Minds’

Smith was also criticized by the Alberta NDP for attending a PragerU event on March 27 alongside American influencer Ben Shapiro. Smith noted that a day after speaking to him at the event about the “importance of maintaining a tariff free relationship between Canada and the U.S.,” Shapiro talked to his viewers about how tariffs would increase costs for Americans.

Smith told the Strong and Free Conference that Shapiro had a “very influential” message that tariffs are a “terrible thing” for Americans. “That’s the reason why I do it, is we find our friends and allies in the United States who will make the argument to Americans in a way that we can’t, and then hopefully be able to change hearts and minds down there in the administration,” she said.

Smith said she has also told members of the administration to be wary of the impact tariffs could have on their electoral prospects. While Trump has repeatedly praised the Tariff Act of 1890, Smith said he has not focused on what happened to President William McKinley in 1892.

“In the two years following, in the midterms, there was almost a 100 percent reversal in the House of Representatives. They lost 96 seats, and the Democrats gained 96 seats,” she said. “And so that was my warning to them, is that you have to look at what the downstream consequences are of the decisions.”

Trump has said the tariffs will help boost U.S. manufacturing and create American jobs. He has said the tariffs are a response to what his administration deems as unfair trade practices by other countries.

Need for Energy Infrastructure

During her speech, Smith also called for Canada to “do more to build our nation” in response to U.S. tariffs. She highlighted recent Nanos polling that showed 77 percent of Canadians now support a coast-to-coast oil pipeline.

Smith said Ottawa needs to build out ports, logistics hubs, and pipeline infrastructure to unlock critical mineral deposits like Northern Ontario’s mineral-rich Ring of Fire, allowing it to ship resources to global markets. She also called for the country to break down interprovincial trade barriers that have “hampered our economy for decades and killed countless jobs and opportunities.”

The Alberta premier also said Canada needs to secure new trading partners, and so she will travel to Japan and South Korea at the end of April to “make the case for Canada and Alberta exports.”

“Whether it’s going to be our beef, or our pork, or our canola, or our grain products, I really believe that now is the time to take advantage of those trade partnerships. The world does want more Canadian products,” Smith said.

Smith also told the audience members that they need to hold political parties to their promises and make sure “there isn’t any ‘Oh, I told you that just to get elected, and now we’re not going to act on it.’”

“Make sure everyone knows that this is a really important election, and I think that Pierre Poilievre, quite frankly, is the one with the credibility to take us there,” she said.