Daniel Smith: Canada can achieve a successful trade deal with Trump if it stops panicking

Calgary —
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that Canada can reach a good trade outcome with President Donald Trump's administration if it treats his repeated tariff threats as part of a negotiating style, not a reason to panic every time.

Smith's remarks came during her participation in an economic summit on the future of North America, where she considered that Trump negotiates by presenting multiple options and pushing to the highest possible ceiling before reaching an agreement.

Smith said that the mistake, from her point of view, is for Canada to treat every new threat as if it were a final decision, considering that what is required is to understand Trump's way of thinking and respond with practical calculations that protect Canada's interests.

Her statements come at a time when Canadian-American trade relations are facing increasing tension, amid American threats not to renew the North American Free Trade Agreement and to impose additional tariffs on sensitive sectors.

Smith sees energy, especially Alberta's oil and gas, as a key leverage for Canada in any negotiations with Washington, noting that the American economy needs stable and reliable supplies from the north.

However, her position may spark controversy within Canada, especially as some provincial governments and politicians call for a tougher response to Trump's threats, while Smith prefers a less escalatory negotiating approach focused more on shared economic interests.

Her remarks reflect the Canadian divide on how to deal with the Trump administration: between those who see confrontation as necessary to protect sovereignty and national interests, and those who believe that calm appeasement and negotiation may achieve better results in a highly sensitive trade file.