Advice from a political insider: Danielle Smith needs a federal ally

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Legendary political insider and former diplomat Norman Spector said many interesting things on Twitter, aka X.

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Some of these interesting things attract more attention than others, such as the observation of the interests of the federal election the other day: “The two voting questions in my mind are: Who is better to deal with Trump?

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Spector’s insights and trademark candidness, the basis for the deliberation of government leaders’ records is valuable in many constitutional power struggles. He thinks that others may not necessarily see things.

Spector pointed out online that Alberta Prime Minister Danielle Smith is doing her job, representing the interests of Alberta and, like Premier Legault’s work, represents Quebec. But, a few days later, I pointed out in an interview with him that she was told to sit down and shut up. She was on the bench for the Canadian team.

She is reluctant to agree to a retaliation surcharge for oil and gas exports from Alberta to the United States (or Ontario where Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford threatened to generate electricity, she is known as a “traitor” to Canada.

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Because she visited Washington and Marago to meet with Donald Trump and her insiders, she was denounced as “not a team player” (usually a particularly ruthless prosecution reserved for female leaders) and “toxic” to mainstream.

On March 8, a 15-minute interview with Breitbart News Network was conducted, with critics blasting her for encouraging foreign governments to interfere in Canada’s federal election.

Trump’s recent tariff announcement is a 25% surcharge not produced in the United States, which has exacerbated tensions.

In my interview with Spector, despite unconventional actions privately and intimately on social media, he agreed: “Smith’s job to defend her province is her job, and it’s a very tempting goal.” For whom? For Mark Carney and Justin Trudeau, Spector clarified. He added: “Carney is giving advice and handling to the same guy at Justin, which is why AB continues to be the target.”

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“Pets (Pierre Elliott Trudeau) are more fair in pursuing QC nationalism and AB’s wealth,” Spector explained. “Justin never pursues QC like his father.”

“I think Justin and Pierre are two different things,” Spector reflects. “Pierre doesn’t care about the economy he cares about QC nationalism. Justin doesn’t care about the economy, but he relies on the QC seat to deal with the issues he cares about.”

This person’s ability to make useful comparisons between Trudeau is more than just a driving force to get rid of traditional political rhetoric. This is derived from the first-hand experience of sitting at the government table during the most difficult times in Canadian history.

From 1990-92, Spector served as Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Ten years ago, he was a top civil servant for British Columbia Prime Minister Bill Bennett, who was directly involved in provincial federal talks on the Canadian Constitution. From 1986-90, he served as secretary of the Federal Cabinet of the Federal Provincial Relations of Ottawa, a period when Canada-US Free Trade and Lake Meshe was defeated.

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Spector has also served as a diplomat in three sensitive jurisdictions: Israel, Cyprus and the Palestinian authority in Gaza. He is no stranger to complex negotiations.

The announcement of who is “Canadian” reminds me of the days when Alberta Prime Minister Peter Lougheed was tagged as “Canadian terrible” and “selfish” by federal leaders who tried to lower Alberta to scale. During Lougheed’s Premier League, the war within the federal government was first about the rights to ownership of natural resources and how the National Energy Program (NEP) of the Liberal Government affected these provincial rights, and secondly, comply with the Constitution and agree to the role of the provinces.

“In those days, QC and Alberta were allies, until November 5, 1981, the pets managed to split them up by referendum threatening the charter,” Spector recalls. But they were allies for a few more years, and he continued, “No wonder, because in their own way, both provinces are easy choice for minorities: QB, because of their language, AB, because of their wealth, therefore.”

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“Of course, quality control has more political power in Ottawa, so that makes Alberta a tempting target for the federal government for years, and that’s what we’re seeing now,” he observed. “Another similarity is the location of Ontario with Ottawa, which we see in the NEP and the 80-81 Constitution.”

“What worries me the most is that Trump knows this division in Canada,” Spector reported. He asserted that Trump was fully prepared to play the gulf and conquest, sharing the image of North America, wrapped in stars and stripes of the American flag, which he said he couldn’t get out of his mind.

Spector asserted that what accelerated this trajectory was “1. Trudeau did not interact with Trump like Starmer and Sheinbaum, and we are in crisis now 2. Carney used this crisis for election purposes, rather than interacting with Trump and Smith.”

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He continued: “If Trump’s goal is to swallow Canada, then a good way is to peel off AB. I’m not sure if Carney knows he will not be able to stop declaring independence.”

Spector mentioned the 1998 Canadian Supreme Court decision, which warned Canadians as a bias to deviate from Canada: “Ultimately, international recognition is the case of the UDI (United Declaration of Independence).

Now is the time for Spector to end our conversation. “Now you have to run with the dog. Good chat.” But he came back later:

“The ultimate thought: If I’m still the Chief of Staff of the PMO, my advice to the Prime Minister is to read the Secession reference and take this seriously in the national interest rather than your partisan interest.”

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