The all too oft-repeated déjà vu of Alberta versus Ottawa discord on the oil and gas sector has resurged again amid talk of how best to respond to potential U.S. tariffs.
The deeply rooted struggle bubbled to the surface again last week when Alberta Premier Danielle Smith refused to sign a joint statement with Ottawa on potential responses to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of 25 percent tariffs on Canada.
Even though the joint statement made no mention of blocking oil and gas exports, Smith took issue with federal officials saying publicly or in private that export tariffs on the energy sector could be on the table as a possible response to Trump’sAlberta Premier Peter Lougheed and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau meet in Trudeau’s Parliament Hill office to finalize a tentative oil pricing agreement in a file photo. tariffs….