Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling for stronger Canada–U.S. relations, with a focus on addressing unfair Chinese trade practices as President-elect Donald Trump maintains his pledge to impose tariffs on Canadian goods.
“We can strengthen our partnership even further in the coming years by securing our shared border and fighting unfair Chinese trade practices that harm workers in both of our countries,” Smith wrote in a post on the social media platform X on Jan. 7.
In a press conference that same day, Trump said he would use “economic force” to merge Canada with the United States after being asked about using military power to annex Canada. He had previously floated the idea of making Canada the “51st state” after meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in November to discuss his proposed 25 percent tariff on all Canadian goods unless Canada stops the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the United States through its borders….