Alberta Premier Danielle Smith confirmed she will be going to Washington, DC, for US President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. The Calgary Herald reported Friday Smith was putting in the work by going to Trump’s inauguration and teaming up with like-minded US Republican governors on energy to ensure he does not slap Canadian oil and gas with a tariff. Alberta became the first foreign jurisdiction to join the Governors’ Coalition for Energy Security on Thursday, teaming up with 12 US states to promote energy affordability and security. “They offered the invitation and we’re happy to join,” said Smith to the Calgary Herald. “We want to make sure that Americans understand that we are their closest friend and ally and trading partner, and that — in our trade negotiations, which are set to begin in 2026 — we really have to prioritize that relationship with the Americans.”The coalition was launched by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu in September and included several other Republican governors. Initially, it was called the Governors’ Coalition for Energy Choice.When the coalition was launched, it was intended to promote continued energy choice, reduce permitting and other regulatory problems, cut back on pricey energy mandates, and prioritize affordability and reliability with energy infrastructure. While the coalition is based in the US, it aligns with Alberta’s approach to oil and gas development and Smith’s goals to double production. After conversations between Alberta’s Senior Representative to the US James Rajotte and Louisiana officials, Alberta had been given the invitation to join it. “Our mission as an organization has not changed, but Alberta’s welcome arrival to our group sparked a conversation about what our core mission is, and that is ensuring energy security in all its forms,” said Landry to the Calgary Herald. Canada is the largest supplier of foreign energy to the US, making up 60% of its oil imports last year. Smith said she believes the coalition members will be meeting in February. In the coming months, she will be heading to the US for multiple trips. These trips include going to the Western Governors’ Association in Las Vegas in December and attending the inauguration in Washington on January 20. While Smith will be travelling to the US, it is part of a larger outreach effort as the provincial and Canadian governments prepare to deal with another Trump administration and head into negotiations to update the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement in 2026. When she is in Washington, she vowed her team will speak with officials about Canada exporting more oil to the US than Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq combined. “We will meet with as many decision-makers as we can to get that message out,” she said. “We’re prepared to spend a few days there, just building those relationships with the new administration.”During the US presidential election campaign, Trump promised he would instate a broad 10% tariff on all imports into the US, bringing about serious consequences for Canada and its energy if he follows through on it. Oil and gas made up $134 billion (82%) of Alberta’s exports to the US last year. Since a general tariff could push fuel prices higher for Americans, many US energy experts have predicted Canadian oil and gas exports will be exempt. Meanwhile, trade analysts have said energy could become a bargaining chip during talks about free trade between Canada, the US, and Mexico. At the moment, she said she has been watching what the US has said about its concern Mexico is hollowing out its manufacturing sector, partnering with China, and viewing that in a negative light. She added Canada does not “want to be lumped in the same kind of approach.”Smith concluded by saying Americans “understand that having a supply of oil and natural gas that allows them to deliver lower gasoline and diesel prices to their citizens is a good thing.” “I’m not worried about tariffs on oil and gas products, but we’ve got to make that case very clear to the Americans,” she said. Smith said in July she was glad progressive politicians were starting to recognize their rhetoric has gone too far after Trump’s first assassination attempt. .WATCH: Smith says progressive politicians need to tone down rhetoric about conservatives .While progressives have used inflammatory language to describe conservatives, she said it is outrageous. “And that has led to the culture we have seen in the US, and I certainly hope some of the progressive politicians here are careful of their language because they have been talking about conservative politicians in the same way and they need to dial it down,” she said.
