Even if Alberta’s premier has an advantage in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, he isn’t sharing it publicly.
At a press conference during a visit to Washington, D.C., Daniel Smith pointed to the challenges of dealing with both Democrats and Republicans.
Asked whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump is better for her state, she said, “I think both have their challenges.”
Smith said both candidates have protectionist policies.
Her biggest complaint with current President Biden was his decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta on his first day in office.
“We are very disappointed,” Smith told reporters at the Canadian embassy on Thursday, during his first visit to the U.S. capital as prime minister.
Meanwhile, former President Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on the entire world. 10 percent For products around the world.Policy details remain vague, but one Trump ally said told Politico He said he sees this as a negotiating tactic by President Trump to get countries to do what he wants.
Mr. Smith has already publicly pushed for a Canadian carve-out. In fact, she is calling for such carve-outs for all of North America’s trading partners.
“We would ask for an exemption [to such a tariff]” she said. [a] Democrat or Republican [president], they need to understand that we have a special relationship. I would include Canada and the United States, and I think Mexico as well…so they would seek exemptions from all sorts of rules that prohibit or restrict cross-border trade. ”
In any case, it is by no means certain that President Trump will impose such tariffs on oil and gas, Alberta’s most lucrative exports. That would go against his campaign message about lowering energy prices.
Keystone XL2.0? Not complete
Mr. Smith is a member of many U.S. senators, including Rand Paul, Markwayne Mullin, J.D. Vance, Lisa Murkowski, Marsha Blackburn, Steve Daines, and Democrat Joe Manchin. He was speaking on the second day of the trip, where he met with Republicans (Republicans).
Smith was asked whether Alberta would have the next big proposal for a cross-border energy project to replace Keystone XL, especially if a pro-pipeline government returns to the White House. Ta.
Alberta’s premier did not go into specifics. But if such a project were to exist, she said it might be easier to build gas and oil export capacity along existing pipeline routes.
Smith noted that the Trans Mountain pipeline is nearly complete. expansion As proof of that lesson, I went to British Columbia.
“We used an existing site,” she said. “So we have a lot of integrated networks. Maybe that could be a way to restart the dialogue with the United States.”
After discussing the idea with people in Washington, Smith said he plans to take his observations back to Canada and discuss them with pipeline companies.