The office of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is vehemently denying accusations that she asked the U.S. to interfere in Canadian federal politics, as comments Smith made during an interview with an American news outlet earlier this month made waves this weekend.
Smith, along with other Canadian political leaders, has been lobbying U.S. counterparts against placing the stiff tariffs President Donald Trump wants on Canadian goods. Part of her effort has included speaking with American news media.
During a March 8 interview with Breitbart, a right-wing U.S. media company, Smith said the Conservative Party of Canada was far ahead of the governing Liberal Party in polls before the trade war. But the threat of “unjust and unfair tariffs” had boosted Liberal support.
Smith told U.S. administration officials that she hoped “we could put things on pause,” so Canada could get through an election, she told Breitbart. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is more aligned with the Trump administration’s agenda, Smith said.
Any suggestion that Smith asked the U.S. to interfere in Canada’s election is “offensive and false,” her press secretary, Sam Blackett, told CBC News in a statement.
The Breitbart interview occurred before the Liberals elected Mark Carney as party leader, and before he called a federal election Sunday morning.
Trade dispute benefits Liberals, Smith says
Her comments were in response to the host’s question about whether Smith thought Canadians were ready to vote for a Conservative government, given a right-leaning leader might have a better working relationship with Trump.
“The longer this dispute goes on, politicians posture, and it seems to be benefiting the Liberals right now,” Smith told Breitbart.
“Let’s just put things on pause so we can get through an election,” she said. “Let’s have the best person at the table make the argument for how they would deal with it — and I think that’s [Conservative Leader] Pierre Poilievre.”
She went on to agree with the host, saying that if Poilievre was Canada’s prime minister, the two countries could partner on “a number of things” and that she believes they’d have a “great relationship” while Poilievre and Trump served.
Smith, who leads Alberta’s United Conservative Party, has previously said she favours Poilievre, but that Canada, ultimately, needs elect a prime minister who can work with Trump during his term.
Smith just answered a simple question, says analyst
Gitane De Silva, founder and principal of GDStrategic, a public policy group in Calgary, said Smith is allowed to have a personal political opinion and that, as a conservative, she would support a Conservative government.
“I think she was just answering a question that she was asked,” De Silva said about Smith’s comments in the Breitbart interview. “Just like President Trump has commented on who he’d rather work with, Premier Smith would rather work with a Conservative government in Ottawa.”
In a separate statement Sunday, Smith noted that she has been working to convince U.S. officials about the potential harm tariffs could have on both countries, and push for a pause on tariffs until Canada has a federal election, which would allow whoever wins time to renegotiate the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, the free trade deal between the North American neighbours.
“Now that an election has been called, I would reiterate my hope that the United States would refrain from placing tariffs on their closest ally and largest trading partner during the middle of the election,” Smith said in the statement.
Canadians will ultimately decide who they want to lead, she said, adding that she feels the Liberal government’s policies have weakened the country during the party’s tenure.
Poilievre echoed the latter Sunday, after being asked about what Smith said during the Breitbart interview.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Liberal Leader Mark Carney were both asked Sunday about Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s remarks to U.S. media outlet, Breitbart, in early March before Carney was selected as Liberal leader. In the interview, Smith said she told U.S. officials that tariffs be put on pause through an election — and that the trade dispute ‘seems to be benefiting the Liberals right now.’
“The president thinks he will have it easier to deal with a liberal,” he told reporters during a scrum, after officially launching his campaign.
Trump said earlier this week that he doesn’t care who wins a Canadian election, but that “it’s easier to deal, actually, with a liberal.”
On Sunday morning, Carney was also asked about Smith’s comments, noting Smith’s alignment of Poilievre with Trump.
“That’s one of the decisions that Canadians will have to make,” he said.
During a rally later Sunday, Carney quoted Smith, then said “everything would be on the table” with Poilievre at the helm.
The federal election is set for April 28.
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