Nine days before Christmas, as Canada's relationship with the U.S. tanks due to gross incompetence in Ottawa, Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi has made matters worse.
In a video published to X on Monday, Nenshi suggested the U.S. is an "adversary" under a Trump presidency. He slammed the UCP for "doing a happy dance" in the legislature when Trump won the U.S. election.
"The premier seems far more interested in cozying up to Trump than in helping Albertans," Nenshi wrote on X — after Alberta took unprecedented action to increase security on the southern border — thereby potentiating a positive relationship with the U.S. once Trump takes office in January.
Trump has threatened a 25% tariff on Canadian exports due to the flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S. from Canada.
"We need to find serious solutions to this tariff threat which will devastate our economy," wrote Nenshi. "Danielle Smith's casual thoughts on border security are not what our negotiations need."
Nenshi said it's not helpful that Smith has "completely taking the frame of the U.S. government on this."
"There were 44 pounds of fentanyl caught at the Alberta, Montana border," he said. "That sounds like a lot. It's not a lot compared to the hundreds of thousands of pounds that came from the Mexican border. And for the premier to say, 'Yeah, this is a very big problem, President Trump, you're right, and we're going to put drones and helicopters.'"
Nenshi said Alberta's enhanced border security measures are stepping into Ottawa's jurisdiction.
"And if you're in a tough negotiation and you want to be able to be a serious negotiator, you don't walk into the negotiation by telling your adversary, 'You're right, and we're going to do everything you want.' I'm very concerned (with) the premier's casual attitude on this, her lack of seriousness as a premier."
Smith's Chief of Staff Rob Anderson responded.
"Congrats, you just disqualified yourself from ever becoming Alberta’s Premier," he said on X.
"Effectively supporting Ottawa putting export tariffs on Alberta oil is quite likely the most insane thing I’ve ever heard out of an Alberta NDP leader — and that’s saying something."