HANNAFORD: On the border, Smith chooses the better way

There are two ways for Canadian leaders to handle President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats.One is to make a little fist, as has Premier Doug Ford who Wednesday threatened to cut off Canadian energy supplies to the US. Whether he meant energy produced in Ontario, or has it in mind to disrupt Alberta oil/gas exports, he did not specify..Smith to make border security announcement, Ford 'ready to fight' after premiers meeting .In a similar vein, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mused about countervailing tariffs of our own. (And then, unhelpfully, insulted Americans as misogynists for spurning a woman as president. Perhaps Americans would not have spurned a better-qualified woman?)So you can do that, and as a Canadian leader, try to sound tough to a Canadian audience. To be sure, everybody knows we’d lose a tariff war in the first 24 hours. However, such is the level of congenital anti-Americanism in this country, it might still help Mr. Trudeau as he faces otherwise-hostile voters in next year’s election.The more preferable way, and the one more likely to do some good, is that adopted by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. As a leader, you can review the merit of the US complaint, and take action accordingly. That was Smith’s first reaction and interestingly, it was also Ford’s. (A pity he seems to have backed away from it.)Trump’s case is simple. He has asserted that Canada was the source of dangerous illegal immigrants. He also believes Canada is a significant source of illegal drugs, fentanyl in particular.Sceptics initially responded that Trump was making things up and had other motives for provoking a trade war.However, the illegal immigrant charge is largely borne out by the US border service. As for the drugs, this too is a matter of record, although by no means does Canada have an exclusive franchise.Nevertheless, any is too many, and the US can (and under Trump, undoubtedly will) prosecute others importing killer drugs into the US on an industrial scale.Having reviewed the US position, Smith has decided that the Americans have a case and acted accordingly, with this morning’s announcement of an Alberta border patrol. (See the details below.).Alberta sending dozens of sheriffs to secure border.It is, of course, a disgrace to Canadian sovereignty that it took a rebuke from a man who has yet to actually take office to force this action.However, it is also to the Government of Alberta’s credit that it was quick to take the hint and do something — which in fairness to the Government of Alberta, really was something upon which the Government of Canada should have had the lead all along.And as Smith told Western Standard reporter Jen Hodgson, doing something will absolutely and utterly not include cutting off energy supplies to Alberta’s energy customers..Smith has also taken an approach that as an exercise in personal diplomacy, seems more likely to bear fruit with the Americans than calling them names. It is, for example, no secret that Smith intends to attend the Trump inauguration in January.It is also helpful that she has opened up channels of communication with people likely to influence policy in the incoming US administration, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem for example. Noem is Trump’s nominee as US Secretary of Homeland Security. Smith tweeted later that the two of them had “a great chat about how Alberta is working to strengthen security on our shared border and enhance the critical trade relationship’ between Canada and the US.And in this morning's border patrol announcement, she noted that Montana shares a border with BC and Saskatchewan as well as Alberta. She has therefore reached out to Montana Governor Greg Gianforte for a meeting, to which BC's Premier David Eby and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe would be invited.In the absence of a credible Team Canada response then, at least a credible Team West approach.Trump's tariffs could be an enormous problem for Canada and there are no guarantees that in the absence of effective federal leadership, the junior levels of government can solve it.This however, is the way to start.

HANNAFORD: On the border, Smith chooses the better way

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