Naheed Nenshi, Leader of Alberta’s New Democrats, issued the following statement in response to the United States of America’s new tariffs on Canadian goods:
“For decades, the US has been our steadfast ally and single most important trading partner. Today, the President’s actions have damaged the special relationship our countries hold. This trade war will hurt us all.
“Since the President first announced the threat of tariffs, the Premier has consistently taken the wrong approach. Danielle Smith has failed Alberta – again. She thought her balls-and-parties tour of Mar-a-Lago and Washington D.C. would get Albertans a reprieve from devastating tariffs that will wreak havoc on our jobs, our industries and our way of life. She failed, and threw other Canadians under the bus while failing.
“She ignored the threats to our sovereignty and genuinely thought that laughing at President Trump’s insults while schmoozing and taking selfies with Republican officials would help us. It didn’t.
“She is wrong. Her strategy is wrong and her justifications are wrong. Taking Trump’s side over the past few months and abandoning the rest of Canada has led to the greatest threat to our economy and way of life we have ever seen.
“And she has no plan whatsoever to deal with it, as we saw in her no-plan budget. Even now, other than one appearance on American TV, she is hiding, desperately trying to craft a plan that should have been in the works since Trump told her to pound sand.
“We need a multifaceted response, along with the rest of the country.
“First, we must strengthen our internal markets, helping Albertans buy Canadian and truly reducing interprovincial barriers, including building codes and professional licensing.
“Second, we must work with all of Canada on using the best tools we have to retaliate, without showing all of our cards first.
“Third, we must use this opportunity to diversify our global markets and build the infrastructure, including pipelines, that we need to access new markets. In the six years the UCP has been in power, they have once again failed to build a single mile of pipeline to tidewater. We must ensure the TransMountain expansion is working at full capacity to ship to global markets and fast track new proposals.
“Fourth, we need a real plan to help those workers who will be hurt by the tariffs, including income support and retraining. We’ve heard nothing from the government about their plans to deal with this beyond their admitting that unemployment will massively increase in their budget.
“Unlike Danielle Smith, Alberta’s New Democrats will always stand for Alberta and Canada. That’s what an ethical and competent government does.”
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Pinoy Edmonton News 