Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi met with U.S. Consul General in Calgary, Emily Fleckner, to strengthen Alberta-U.S. relations amid ongoing trade instability.
“A day after the U.S. administration unveiled its new tariff policy, I had a productive meeting with the U.S. Consul General, Emily Fleckner,” Nenshi said in a social media post on Thursday.
“We discussed the importance of Alberta to the United States.”
Nenshi may be late to the Canada-U.S. relations recovery effort, which was led by Premier Danielle Smith and others. However, he avoided meetings with controversial figures like Ben Shapiro.
Fleckner is much safer — she holds a master’s degree in national security from the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. Before joining the Foreign Service, she worked as a senior editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit in New York and earned a master’s degree in political economy from the London School of Economics.
As of Friday, the Canada-U.S. trade conflict has intensified, fuelled by recent tariff actions and retaliatory measures. The situation stems from U.S. President Donald Trump’s imposition of sweeping tariffs on imports, including a 25% tariff on all foreign-made vehicles announced earlier this week and 25% duties on steel and aluminum from all countries, effective March 12.
Canada and Mexico initially received an exemption for goods compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), but this reprieve ended on April 2, heightening tensions.
“Now is not the time for a victory lap,” Nenshi said on X, responding to Smith’s more optimistic stance on tariffs.
“We must focus on what lies ahead — fortifying the Canadian economy, protecting workers and industries, and recruiting the best and brightest to Alberta. Keep those elbows up — we’ve still got work to do.”
