‘A tax on the American people’: Danielle Smith reacts to Trump threat to bump up tariffs on Canada

The latest tariff threat is a serious concern here. Though energy is Alberta's largest export to the U.S., beef and dairy are also potentially at risk.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith doesn’t think Donald Trump’s most recent threat to increase Canadian tariffs will help Americans, let alone how much they might damage Canada’s economy.

Smith took to social media Friday morning to post her thoughts following Trump posting on his Truth Social platform a letter threatening to add 35 per cent tariffs to Canadian products.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, the U.S. president wrote “if for any reason you decide to raise your tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 35 per cent that we charge.”

Trump claimed the tariffs were originally imposed on Canada because of the U.S. fentanyl crisis, which he said were partly due to “Canada’s failure to stop the drugs from pouring into our country.”

“If Canada works with me to stop the flow of fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter,” Trump wrote. “These tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your country.”

Trump has repeatedly cited fentanyl as one of the justifications for launching a trade war against Canada. However, a July 1 report from The Manhattan Institute found that large Canadian-border seizures were “relatively rare, “with only one per cent of fentanyl pills, capsules or tablets seized coming from up north.

“The threatened increase to U.S. tariffs on Canadians goods would be a tax on the American people,“ Smith posted. ”They would also hurt Canadian and American businesses and workers, and damage one of the most important trading and security alliances on earth.

“Retaliatory tariffs by the federal government to this escalation would constitute a tax on Canadian consumers and businesses and only weaken Canada’s economy further.”

Smith suggested that the way out of the mess is for Ottawa to peel back some of the legislation it has implemented in recent years that she believes puts the brakes on the ability of Alberta energy producers to economically produce energy.

“In addition to continuing trade negotiations with the U.S. Administration in hopes of a resolution to this trade dispute, the federal government must also immediately drop the Trudeau-era anti-resource development laws holding our economy back and work at all haste to approve multiple pipelines, rail expansions and transmission lines going west, east and north to diversify and grow our export markets around the world.

“We need to become an economically stronger and more independent country without further delay or excuse.

“It’s time to repeal these terrible laws that continue to weaken our economy, make us dependent on a single customer, and hold back the prosperity of our country.”

Thursday night, Prime Minister Mark Carney responded on social media, saying that Canada would work towards a revised deadline of Aug. 1 in reaching a new trade deal with the U.S., updating the July 21 deadline set last June during the G7 Leaders’ Summit.

“Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America,” Carney wrote. “We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.”

Mike Haeni brought one of his Jersey cows from his Didsbury-area dairy farm to the Calgary Stampede.

He says all the milk, cheese, cream and curds produced are sold in central Alberta.

Now it seems Trump wants in.

“As a dairy farmer, that’s to me the biggest joke. We are supply managed. That means we manage the supply that people demand,” said Haeni, of Lone Pine Jerseys.

Trump singled out dairy, saying American dairy hardly gets a chance in Canada.

However, for Alberta beef, the Canadian market isn’t enough.

“We export a large percentage of our beef to the U.S. and other parts of the world, but the tariffs are definitely going to affect us, for sure,” said cattle rancher Mike Fahey, of Fahey Cattle Company.

Fahey says he’s optimistic provincial and federal leaders will protect Alberta beef amid ongoing trade negotiations.

“As long as we don’t run into any strange import-export issues, it should be pretty strong, hopefully,” said Fahey.

With files from CTV’s Hunter Crowther