NELSON: Smith did a good thing on tariffs... no wonder the Left hates her

Chris Nelson is a Calgary-based regular commentator on Alberta politicsMaybe it’s best to stay home, pull the covers over our collective heads and pretend it’s all a bad dream. That when we finally awaken, Donald Trump’s still telling some poor sap on a silly TV show ‘you’re fired.’Because, if you actually get off your backside and plead Canada’s case in the face of the relentless attacks from President Trump’s current US administration, you risk being tarred and feathered as a traitor to our country.Yes, once again Alberta Premier Danielle Smith finds herself being castigated by the usual suspects for having the nerve to work the room, south of the border, in an effort to stop tariffs being placed on all manner of Canadian products, a move that could devastate our nation’s economy. .Of course, she could just follow the lead of Ontario Premier Doug Ford and simply stay home and talk tough, promising to jack up rates on electrical power flowing to stateside homes. Or even cut off that juice altogether, while sporting a big grin on his face. Oh yes, that worked out well. The threat lasted about as long as the Leafs in the playoffs before Ford folded.Yet, despite that embarrassing about face, he’s still being hailed as Captain Canada in some circles. Heaven help us.Smith doesn’t receive any such accolades, despite working harder than any politician in this country to stop Trump’s dangerous form of economic nationalism being implemented.The latest attack upon her follows a rehashed interview given to US right-wing outfit Breitbart News a few weeks ago. .In it Smith described how she had urged the Trump administration to delay placing tariffs on Canada until after the upcoming federal election, when a new prime minister would be at the table to argue and present Canada’s case against such a move. Not surprisingly, given the endless battles Alberta’s premier has fought with the current Liberal regime in Ottawa, Smith added she hoped this new leader would be the Conservative’s Pierre Poilievre."I would hope we could put things on pause, is what I've told administration officials. Let's just put things on pause so that we can get through an election. Let's have the best person at the table make the argument for how they would deal with it — and I think that's Pierre Poilievre," is how Smith framed it.She went on to add Poilievre could be more in sync with the Trump administration than the federal Liberals have been.Oh boy. She might as well have signed on to Canada becoming the 51st state, given the feigned outrage that erupted. Some nitwits even accused Smith of encouraging foreign interference in the upcoming federal election. Say what? .Anyhow, Stéphane Perrault, Canada's chief electoral officer quickly quashed that nonsense."There is a provision on undue influence by foreign entities. There are rules on spending, and third-party activities. The facts that you refer to do not trigger any of these," he replied to questions about Smith’s comments.Then up stepped that bastion of democracy NDP head honcho Jagmeet Singh, a man who has repeatedly thwarted the will of Canadians by allowing the Liberals to remain in power for the past year, instead of triggering an election by voting against the Grits’ rotten-to-the-core government."To me, it's very shameful what she's doing. She's literally playing games with peoples' lives. Like, this isn't a game. The tariffs aren't a game to win or lose elections. It's about people losing their jobs," he announced, somehow keeping a straight face. .So, Smith was forced to defend herself, pointing out she’s worked relentlessly for months, trying to convince U.S. officials how damaging tariffs would be to both countries. "I've also repeatedly asked those same officials to refrain from placing any tariffs on Canadian goods until a proper renegotiation of CUSMA (the Canada-United States-Mexico Trade Agreement) can be held following our federal election with a Prime Minister that has won a mandate from Canadians to negotiate with the U.S. President," she posted on social media.Maybe she shouldn’t have bothered. Perhaps staying home, pulling the blankets over your head and wishing Donald Trump were still hosting The Apprentice is what now passes for leadership in our country.How sad.Chris Nelson is a Calgary-based regular commentator on Alberta politics.

NELSON: Smith did a good thing on tariffs... no wonder the Left hates her

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