Premier of Alberta to attend Trump's inauguration, pledges tight border security and plans to talk about tariffs

Photo credit: Beth Baisch

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith plans to attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump after being invited to attend an historic event that Trump has opened up to selected world leaders. Alberta is the most conservative province in Canada and is rich in oil.

Smith is in good graces with Trump after she said earlier this month that Alberta will not stop sending oil and gas to the US, regardless of whether Trump’s threat of slapping 25 percent on all Canadian products comes to pass. She made the announcement just after declaring that her government would spend $29 million to enhance border security.

"Together with federal law enforcement, we'll ensure that our section of the American border is well-protected," Smith said. "We'll deny safe haven to criminals looking to operate in both countries, and if we succeed and maintain proper border security, I expect we'll have a very strong relationship with the United States as we always have."

The Trudeau government has promised to spend $1.3 billion on border security but that funding is parceled out over 6 years.

Smith will be in Washington to attend multiple events prior to the inauguration, according to her press secretary, Sam Blackett. Following the inauguration, the premier expects to meet with people in Washington, including representatives and senators, who are affected by Alberta energy.

The premier has previously said she doesn't support tariffs on either Canadian or U.S. goods because the result makes life more expensive for everyday Canadians and Americans.

Smith is prepared to argue that Trump doesn’t need to impose tariffs on Canada and that a trade war will be destructive to both sides. "We're meeting with our allies in the U.S., we're making the case for Alberta oil and gas to be part of the solution to energy affordability, to energy security, and to, generally speaking, North American defence security, as well."

Energy remains Canada’s number one export to the United States. Of the 81 percent of Canadian oil that was exported abroad in 2023, 97 percent went to the US, according to Statistics Canada, CBC noted. No other province in Canada provides more oil and gas to the US than Alberta.

Smith is also hoping to see the revival of the Keystone XL pipeline that was shelved by President Joe Biden on his first day in office. Thousands of US and Canadian workers lost their jobs when the project was shelved by Biden, apparently to appease environmental extremists who believe pipelines exist to be unfinished. Canada’s TC Energy no longer owns the pipeline system that was supposed to complete the project and a $15 billion lawsuit it filed for compensation was rejected by a USMCA tribunal. But Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is anxious to get the pipeline built and see Canadian oil flowing through it to the US.