![\"danielle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Danielle-SMith-Dominic-A.-LeBlanc-July-2026-1200x810-1-1024x691.jpg\")
Dominic A. LeBlanc, Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Internal Trade, speaks with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who is seen crossing her fingers, before the start of a First Ministers meeting in Charlottetown, PEI on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Photo by Tim Krochak<\/p>\n
Premier Danielle Smith to Canada \u2014 Don\u2019t mess with Alberta oil\n<\/p>\n
By\u00a0Rick Bell<\/a>\n<\/p>\n Dominic A. LeBlanc, Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Internal Trade, speaks with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who is seen crossing her fingers, before the start of a First Ministers meeting in Charlottetown, PEI on Thursday, July 23, 2026.\u00a0Photo by Tim Krochak<\/p>\n Get the Latest Canadian Focused Energy News Delivered to You! It’s FREE: Quick Sign-Up Here<\/a><\/p>\n No! No! No!\n<\/p>\n You want to put a tax on oil going to the United States. No!\n<\/p>\n You want to reduce the flow of oil to the United States. No!\n<\/p>\n You want to stop the flow of oil to the United States. No!\n<\/p>\n What part of No don\u2019t some people understand.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a hard No,\u201d Premier Danielle Smith tells your scribbler Thursday in case the clear-cut, no-doubt-about-it message didn\u2019t sink in everybody\u2019s skulls.\n<\/p>\n On the one hand there\u2019s Ontario Premier Doug Ford back to his role as national blowhard, saying Canada could dismantle the United States because Canada is an energy superpower with oil and potash\n<\/p>\n Ford says everything is on the table in attacking the U.S. and Canada should use every tool in the toolbox as an energy superpower.\n<\/p>\n In Alberta, NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says Smith is wrong to tell the rest of the country it\u2019s hands off Alberta oil.\n<\/p>\n Does Nenshi believe that\u2019s a winning message?\n<\/p>\n Then again, does Nenshi really believe a grovelling apology after having his\u00a0picture taken with the Israeli ambassador<\/a>\u00a0makes him look like someone who wants to be premier.\n<\/p>\n In the real world, Smith says you should never threaten something that\u2019s going to hurt you more than it\u2019s going to hurt them.\n<\/p>\n Them are the Americans and U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s threat to hit a whole slew of Canadian goods with 50 per cent tariffs come Aug. 19.\n<\/p>\n Oil and potash is not on the list.\n<\/p>\n Smith says taxing oil to the U.S. or even turning off the taps would be devastating to Canada, including Ontario and Quebec, where they get Alberta oil delivered through the U.S. to refineries in Canada.\n<\/p>\n The Americans could cut off that supply if push came to shove.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a dumb thing to even threaten,\u201d says Smith, adding it\u2019s \u201can emotional response, not a practical policy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to make sure Canada doesn\u2019t do something that dumb. That\u2019s why it\u2019s a hard No.\u201d\n<\/p>\n But the blowhards who spent last year accusing Smith of being a traitor for not agreeing to use Alberta oil as a pawn in a trade war with the U.S. figure oil is Canada\u2019s ace in the hole.\n<\/p>\n \u201cNone of that is true. It\u2019s punching ourselves in the face. We would be more harmed by the retaliation that would come.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Smith brings up last year when Premier Ford threatened to tax Ontario electricity going stateside or even cut off the power heading across the border.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Americans doubled down on their tariffs and the threat was withdrawn by the afternoon,\u201d says Smith.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how swiftly the Americans would respond to any threat over their energy security. It doesn\u2019t make sense for Alberta and it doesn\u2019t make any sense for the country.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The premier talks about \u201ca retaliation far worse than anything we can ever do.\u201d\n<\/p>\n But the voices talking tough, thinking the likes of Ford will bring Trump to his knees, are out there.\n<\/p>\n These are often the same sorts who wet themselves whenever Trump refers to Canada as the 51st state and now want to use oil to attack the U.S. where they were fine with the federal Liberals beating up the oilpatch for a decade.\n<\/p>\n You want to tax Alberta oil or stop it flowing?\n<\/p>\n \u201cIf anybody does I will let them know in no uncertain terms I will be fighting it every step of the way. I\u2019m not afraid to make my views known.\u201d\n<\/p>\n In Alberta, Nenshi has other views.\n<\/p>\n Nenshi wishes he was at the negotiating table. Hands up. How many people want Nenshi at the negotiating table?\n<\/p>\n Forget it.\n<\/p>\n Nenshi doesn\u2019t like Smith saying it\u2019s a hard No to a tax on oil heading stateside.\n<\/p>\n Nenshi says the premier is just saying it for UCP supporters in Alberta but Americans will see her stance as weak.\n<\/p>\n A just-released Angus Reid poll says Smith\u2019s approval is up seven points since June.\n<\/p>\n![\"GLJ\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Jenik-Freight-Desktop-Banner-1400x179-V3-March-11-2026.png\"\/)
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