As Canada escalates its trade war with President Donald Trump, Alberta is betting on a softer approach.
The oil-rich province has resisted some of the retaliation embraced elsewhere in Canada, while Premier Danielle Smith has pushed for more engagement with Washington.
Alberta’s top representative in the US says that strategy is getting results.
“I think the premier’s diplomacy-first approach has really not only been helpful for me, but certainly helpful for the province,” Nathan Cooper told CBC’s “West of Centre” podcast published on Friday.
“If we look at the impact of US tariffs on the Alberta economy, we have a disproportionately low impact,” Cooper said.
Cooper said US officials have been “significantly more responsive” to Alberta than to some other provinces.
Alberta is the only remaining province with neither a ban nor a retaliatory levy on US alcohol imports, a stance Cooper said American officials have shown “a real appreciation” for.
“I believe that that’s actually translated into results for the province of Alberta as well,” Cooper said.
Alberta also has some insulation from the trade war. Energy is exempt from Trump’s latest 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, while Canada remains by far the biggest source of US crude imports.
Smith has rejected calls to use Alberta’s oil as leverage against Washington, including proposals to tax or restrict exports.
Meanwhile, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has also argued that oil and potash should stay out of the fight, even as his province put a 50% levy on American alcohol into effect on Tuesday.
The softer stance comes as the broader US-Canada trade fight escalates.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has struggled to reach a trade deal with Trump after months of negotiations.
Canada’s latest counter-tariffs take effect Tuesday, including 25% on US cheese and 50% on honey and aluminum foil. The retaliatory tariffs are in response to levies imposed by Trump last month on about $20 billion of Canadian goods after months of unsuccessful trade negotiations.
The tensions have also spilled beyond trade.
Trump issued an executive order last month directing the US government to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America.”
Apple Maps and Google Maps subsequently adopted the name for US users, while Canada continues to recognize it as Lake Ontario.
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