Alberta government recalibrating response to U.S. tariffs, says Premier Danielle Smith | CBC News

The Alberta government is determining its next steps after a tumultuous week in which the United States introduced steep tariffs then pulled back on them two days later, Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
“The implementation of tariffs earlier this week represented a monumental shift in our relationship with the United States,” Smith said during a speech at the Alberta Municipalities spring summit and municipal caucus meeting in Edmonton.
“We are still sorting through what this reprieve looks like.”
The province is determining whether to change its countermeasures in response. More details will be released later Friday, Smith added.
On Wednesday, Alberta announced it would stop buying American alcohol and halt contracting with U.S. companies in response to sweeping tariffs imposed the day before.
The measures also included a halt on purchasing VLT machines from the U.S., an expense that amounts to about $100 million annually, Smith said Friday.
In a partial climbdown on Thursday, President Donald Trump said he is pausing tariffs on some Canadian goods until April 2, offering a reprieve from across-the-board 25 per cent tariffs.
“It’s very frustrating.… The tariffs were unjustified and they’re illegal,” Smith said.
Smith said the unpredictability of Trump’s plans has already created an “administrative and technical nightmare” for many Alberta operators and exporters reliant on the American supply chain.
She said she had spoken with a beef exporter in southern Alberta who owed hundreds of thousands of dollars for the three days that tariffs were in place. The reprieve, she added, would require another load of paperwork for products that were not tariffed but are not registered.
“There was no incentive to register before because it was a zero rate,” she said. “So businesses are going to have to get in touch with their lawyers to figure out how to file all that paperwork in order to be able to enjoy the zero per cent tariff rate.”
She said Albertans and Canadians must remain steadfast in the face of the escalating trade war. Governments need to break down internal trade barriers and encourage consumers across the country to support Canadian businesses, she said.
“We expect things to change very quickly,” she said.