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ANALYSIS

Doug Ford’s Coalition of Premiers is Causing Divisions Among Conservatives as Tariffs Loom

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe the latest to break ranks with the Ford-led response to Trump’s economic threats

It’s a confusing time for the Canadian right.

Tariffs threaten key industries across the country and despite efforts to form a united front among provincial leaders in response to Trump’s threats, led, officially at least, by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, it appears to be showing fractures. 

First, Danielle Smith refused to sign on to the coalition, and now Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is ruling out the idea of pushing back with retaliatory measures against the tariffs which are expected to be announced in early February, Trump says.

Some more fringe figures on the right are going as far as to suggest unification with the United States in some form. Others have taken a more staunch approach.

Among the biggest names attaching themselves to Trump is Kevin O’Leary, former star of Dragon’s Den.

One of O’Leary’s former colleagues on his reality TV show, Arlene Dickinson, has recently said that the former Dragon is not in a position to speak for Canadians regarding the incoming administration. This certainly hasn’t stopped him from doing just that. 

O’Leary has lauded the benefits of a stronger economic union with the United States, including a common currency, stating recently on social media following a visit to Mar-a-Lago:

“I told Trump straight: the Trudeau policies have been a disaster, but Canada isn’t done, Alberta has massive potential, and Danielle is leading the charge to bring capital back.”

While extolling the benefits of combining the two country’s economies, O’Leary praised Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who also took the time to welcome the incoming President while on a vacation that included stops in Panama, Mar-a-Lago and Washington DC.

While on holiday, Smith has been busy trying to seek a special exception for Alberta against the looming economic threat to the country, saying, our job is going to be to work overtime to make sure that we can make the case for carve outs.

Smith later added that there’s a “deal to be made” with Trump regarding the tariff threat and the Alberta oil and gas industry.

According to Smith, energy exports are on the table, but Trump himself openly dismisses the idea that this is a key import  for the US

In the words of one political analyst, Mount Royal University Professor Keith Brownsey, “no one cares” about Alberta energy exports in the way right-leaning Alberta politicos like to think.

“She’s a parochial Canadian Premier from a reasonably small jurisdiction no one can find on a map,” Brownsey told PressProgress. “Seriously, we’ve got the natural gas. So does BC. So does Saskatchewan. We overstate it. We think too much of ourselves.”

In the end, Smith didn’t get to attend the inauguration.

In the face of a stated threat to national sovereignty, regional leaders are responding with regular meetings. However, Smith and Moe remain the first holdouts on a unified front. 

Notably, Quebec Premier Francois Legault recently began pushing back against retaliatory measures as well, in a development that now puts him more in line with Smith and Moe.

The leaders of Canada’s provinces and territories originally put out a statement committing to “stand together on a united path forward” in response to the tariff threat, with Smith as the notable exception.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who chairs Canada’s Council of Federation, used the opportunity to position himself as a uniting figure in the country, appearing on stage in a black hat reading “Canada’s Not For Sale.”

However, Ford’s unity didn’t last long. Cracks are already appearing with conservative Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe’s recent remarks ruling out retaliatory tariffs. Smith is no longer the lone holdout for “Team Canada.”

Experts point out Federal Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, for his part, has been notably mushy on the tariff problem. Meanwhile a rift has formed between the conservative leaders Ford, Smith, and more recently, Moe, on the issue, with the western leaders focused on energy, and Ford focused on manufacturing.

In other corners of the right, figures are not only breaking with the Canada First approach, but openly welcoming a hypothetical scenario that splits up the country. 

Some Alberta sovereigntists in particular are seizing the moment.

Pundit and columnist Barry Cooper recently praised both O’Leary and Smith, while also floating the idea of Alberta obtaining “protectorate status” from the United States.

Cooper’s writing was once cited very prominently in former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s inquiry into “Anti Alberta Activities” which included a great deal of climate change denialism, as well as  baseless conspiracy  theories about environmentalists plotting potential terrorist attacks on pipelines.

Among others welcoming Canada’s hypothetical new American overlords include former Smith champion and “personal  friend” David Parker. Despite often describing himself as a patriot on his podcast “The Canadian Story,” the professional right wing activist has expressed willingness to see the country break apart in wake of Trump’s win.

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Stephen Magusiak
Reporter
Stephen Magusiak is a reporter with PressProgress based in Alberta. His reporting has a focus on public accountability, public services and privatization, and the right-wing war on environmentalists.

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