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In Alberta, and across Canada, there’s plenty of talk about betrayal at the moment. The country was a little distracted last week after Premier Danielle Smith flew to Florida to meet not-yet President Donald Trump for a bit of unsanctioned diplomacy, then headed to Panama instead of to a premiers’ meeting in Ottawa — but she still managed to cause a bit of a national fuss. 

It reminds me of the fable of the Fox, the Ass and the Lion, a tale of disloyalty and consequences. The fox promises the ass he’ll protect them both from the scary predator. Instead, he tries to save his own ass by selling out his friend. The lion eats them both, obviously. 

Canadians spent the week debating who, exactly, is the ass and just what kind of meal the appropriately orange-tinted lion will get. But it sure does look like there will be a gory feast. 

Which is all to say, the province has been a little preoccupied this week. 

Danielle Smith at Mar-a-lago

Over the weekend of Jan. 10, photos emerged of Smith at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, flanked by Jordan Peterson and Kevin O’Leary, the man who wants to build a $70-billion AI data centre in northern Alberta (which, I remind you, has the best promo video ever made, if you like truly awful writing paired with an AI-generated capitalist fever dream). Looking at the photo of the trio gave the feeling that you could be auto-enrolled in a crypto investment scheme any minute if you didn’t avert your eyes.

The meeting with the president-elect, who is likely president by the time you’re reading this, was met with everything from adulation for standing up for Alberta oil and gas to allegations of treason (can we please not go down the F**k Smith flags/treason road?).

Relations between Alberta and Ottawa are decidedly chilly of late, and it’s only grown frostier with the incoming U.S. president set to take power. So far, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s attempts at unsanctioned diplomacy with Trump have been unsuccessful. Photo: Spencer Colby / The Narwhal

It was another poke in the eye of the federation, an act that has defined Smith’s premiership, and a clear break in ranks that shattered any semblance of a united front in dealing with the threat of steep tariffs on Canadian goods. It even raised the ire of her conservative brethren. 

By the next day, the premier warned to expect those tariffs on everything, including oil and gas. 

Outwardly, it would appear the Florida visit was an abject failure. The premier laid her cards on the table and got nothing in return from a man who is known to throw friends and foes under any bus that passes by as he works to achieve his own ends. 

But history has shown not to discount Smith and her ability to spin a defeat as a victory, or even achieve a real one. Smith said the conversation was “constructive” and that she will continue to advocate for the province with leaders in the U.S.

Only tariffs will tell. 

The premier will also be in Washington D.C. for the inauguration on Jan. 20 but will not attend the event in person as originally intended. 

Danielle Smith wasn’t just Mar-a-Lago-ing

The controversy over Smith’s visit to Mar-a-Lago wasn’t even lukewarm, let alone cooled, when she decided to start a brand-new fire. 

On Jan. 15, the federal government and all of the premiers signed a joint statement of support for pushing back against Trump’s tariffs, including by potentially imposing our own. All, that is, but Smith.

The statement does not outline any specifics or say what industries will be impacted. But the Alberta premier insists oil and gas should not be on the table as part of Canada’s negotiating and retaliatory arsenal, even if/because it is the largest single national export in terms of money. The economic impact of turning off the taps would be immense in Alberta (and Canada), but could also see costs spike for U.S. consumers and force Trump to dip into the country’s reserves.  

Doubling down the next day, Smith said she will simply look out for Alberta’s interests. She is setting up a zero-sum showdown with Ottawa instead of with Washington. She has even mused about buying all the oil and gas made in Alberta to protect it from federal taxation measures. 

Conservative Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who chairs the Council of the Federation, has clashed with Danielle Smith over staying united in the face of possible U.S. tariffs. Photo: Alicia Wynter / The Narwhal

No word on standing up for agriculture or any and all of the other industries in Alberta. 

Keith Gregory, the chair of the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association, told CBC News that the tariffs have “the potential to really be devastating” for an industry worth billions.

Fingers crossed on that data centre though. (Please watch the video.)

Anyway, things are a little interesting at the moment. 

It all comes after an exhausting few weeks of Trump’s trolling about Canada becoming the 51st state, but that has now morphed into a potentially serious policy conversation as Alberta tirelessly pushes for more sovereignty. 

But wait, Danielle Smith’s government has another charm offensive

Alberta has been working overtime to ensure governments across the U.S. realize just how much of the province’s oil is consumed there and why that should continue. 

Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz was in California last week to tout the province’s emissions reductions. It’s a delicate dance in a state that both consumes a whole lot of oil and gas and — as it grapples with the effects of global warming, including ongoing fires in Los Angeles — is pushing hard on the reduction front. 

California to Gaza: Canada’s efforts — and struggles — to support global action on the environment

Specifically, she was there to talk about “Alberta’s leadership in innovation and methane emissions reductions, as well as energy security,” according to the province. 

But it’s not just Alberta, despite the heated rhetoric. Federal Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson was in Washington D.C. to pitch an “energy and resource alliance” that would be a larger vision of a current partnership that exists between Canada and the U.S. Department of Defense on critical minerals. 

Hey, what if we also sell wildlife?

While Schulz and Smith are focused on energy, Alberta’s forestry and parks minister Tood Loewen is heading to that hotbed of conservation, Reno, Nev., in order to auction licences to shoot animals.Loewen will attend the classy sounding Wild Sheep Foundation Sheep Show, where we hope there aren’t actually any scantily clad ruminants, and if there are, they’re at least wearing some tassels. 

Specifically, the minister will auction a special licence for bighorn sheep, using the proceeds “for conservation initiatives across Alberta.” Last year, the auction raised US$320,000, significantly more than the 25 cents a, um, sheep show used to cost. 

Alberta quietly opens cougar hunting in provincial park

More licences for moose, elk, mule and white-tailed deer, turkey, pronghorn and cougar will be auctioned in Salt Lake City in February.

The licence means the lucky hunter can shoot an animal anytime of year — no pesky hunting season rules here. In Alberta, if you pay enough, it’s always open season.

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