So this morning, we all woke up to a fresh helping of unsubstantiated tariffs—because apparently, chaotic international trade policy is back on the menu. Some countries got walloped like a piñata at a toddler’s birthday party. Canada? We caught a glancing blow. And Alberta? We walked away with a paper cut and a raised eyebrow.
Now, let’s not pretend this lucky break was thanks to Premier Danielle Smith cracking some international code. Alberta didn’t sidestep this because of some genius provincial plan. This wasn’t solved in Calgary with a press conference and a cowboy hat. Trump’s team knows that oil and gas tariffs would have met significant resistance from American consumers and businesses. This is federal-level heavy lifting—there’s a full team from Ottawa, actual trade professionals, in Washington right now advocating for Canadian interests. You know, the people who read briefing notes on purpose.
Because when Trump is involved, you need more than vibes and volume. This is a man who can flip from tariffs to tweets faster than you can say “TARIFF,” who?” It takes serious strategy, not solo stunts, to keep us out of the blast zone.
So if Alberta came out of this mostly unscathed, it’s not because someone in Edmonton solved international trade overnight. It’s because there’s a team in Ottawa that actually knows how to navigate a Trump storm, without needing a parade about it.
Yesterday was just the opening act. Trump’s trade chaos isn’t over, but fortunately, the federal team is already backstage, tuning the instruments.
As for Danielle Smith—someone might want to let her know it’s a symphony, not a solo.
Nancy's Notes 