Danielle Smith has outmanoeuvred the Alberta NDP, securing a diplomatic win for Canada and Alberta amid the Canada-U.S. trade dispute.
Smith travelled to Florida last week to speak at a major conservative event hosted by PragerU, a media company that produces educational-style videos, podcasts, and other content promoting conservative viewpoints.
With hundreds of millions of annual views, PragerU gave Smith a major platform to pitch Canada and Alberta to Americans, and possibly President Donald Trump and his administration.
She appeared alongside conservative media personality Ben Shapiro, a commentator widely criticized by the political left for being racist and Islamophobic.
The NDP heaped abuse on Smith in the days and hours before the PragerU event, including a remark some might call sexual harassment from indigenous NDP MLA Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, who took a shot at Smith in the legislature.
“The rest of Canada wants to go elbows up, and she’s got her head you know where, headed to Florida,” said Calahoo Stonehouse, later apologizing.
The NDP have also called Smith a traitor, accusing her of associating with racists and Islamophobes. She isn't on Team Canada — they say.
Smith said the Florida trip succeeded because it allowed her to advocate against U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods to an influential American conservative audience. She highlighted her 25-minute onstage discussion with Shapiro that focused on the Canada-U.S. trade dispute and the benefits of tariff-free relations.
"While we may not agree on everything — we share the same message on this tariff dispute — it is bad for Canada and it is bad for the U.S." said Smith on X.
She noted Shapiro dedicated an entire episode of his popular podcast to criticizing tariffs and their harm to American businesses, reaching millions of his Republican-leaning viewers.
Smith argued this amplified her message to a key demographic close to U.S. decision-makers, supporting her goal of shifting American views on trade policy.
She defended the trip further on her radio show, Your Province, Your Premier, on Saturday, saying engaging figures like Shapiro, despite their controversial stances, is part of her duty to protect Alberta’s economic interests amid looming trade tensions.
The Alberta NDP made a strange video to protest Smith — among other acts of protest including hanging a Canadian flag from a government building while singing the national anthem.
