Despite assurances to the contrary — parler en Anglais — export taxes on Alberta’s oil are still on Liberal leadership contender Mark Carney’s table to counter broader US tariffs on Canada’s economy, assuming he becomes prime minister after March 9.
But speaking in French is a different story.
In an interview with CBC Radio last week, Carney made it clear that weaponizing some 4.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of Alberta’s cross border oil exports remains very much “an option” to wage economic war on US president Donald Trump’s threats to impose crippling 25% tariffs on everything Canada makes or sells to American customers.
“Well, it’s an option… it’s a card to have in hand,” Carney tells the reporter, speaking in French.
That comprises all forms of energy, including electricity as well as oil and natural gas. But especially petroleum, which amounted to more than USD$100 billion last year or a quarter of all trade. By coincidence, it also made up most of Canada’s $50 billion trade surplus with its southern trading partner, with automobiles making up most of the rest.
No surprise, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been vehemently — and vocally — opposed to any idea of turning off the taps or taxing barrels flowing south, warning of an outright national unity crisis.
That in turn has prompted accusations from Eastern politicians that she isn’t a ‘Team Canada’ player and is in fact an outright “traitor” to the cause of Canadian national unity.
Though he admits “it’s always better to have a clear mandate” before making drastic changes to the status quo, Carney added that he isn’t afraid to go it alone without provincial or parliamentary approval.
Nonetheless, he agreed there will be in-depth “discussions” about cross-country pipelines within the context of removing interprovincial trade barriers.
But then, as if to contradict himself, Carney while speaking in Windsor on Tuesday promised there would be no pipelines through Quebec without provincial approval. Both Premier François Legault and Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet have said the idea is a non-starter.