How an interview by Danielle Smith drove day one of the campaign

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Ottawa – On March 8, the U.S. right-wing news website Breitbart posted an interview with Alberta Prime Minister Danielle Smith that caused little ripples in Canada.

In the interview, Smith blamed former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for making Canada look weak at a meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump after the US election in November. She also explained to American audiences the changes in Canada’s parliamentary system, describing how new liberal leaders will become prime ministers and replace Trudeau.

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But at the end of the discussion, Smith made a comment that would dominate on Sunday’s first day of the campaign.

Liberals soared in polls following Trump’s tariff threats, Smith told Breitbart that she was urging the Trump administration to “suspend” tariffs when Canadians hold elections because “it seems to be benefiting liberals.”

“…This is actually an increase in support for liberals due to the tariffs we consider unjust and unfair. That’s what I’m worried about is that the longer this dispute takes, the politician’s posture, now seems to benefit the liberals. So, I hope we can pause and say, I can say what I told government officials.

Smith argues that Poilievre will be more “synchronized” with the Trump administration, so the truce will benefit both sides.

On Saturday, on the eve of a written decline, the interview surfaced on social media. For conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who would rather focus the attack on the record of the Liberal government, an unwelcome addition to Sunday’s inquiries from reporters.

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Poilievre didn’t speak directly to Smith’s U.S. interview, but he did mention Trump’s previous comments about his preference for a Canadian liberal leader.

“My response is that the president said he thought it would be easier to deal with liberals and that there are good reasons why liberals weaken our country,” Poilievre said during a campaign in Gatineau in Que.

On the Ottawa River outside the Rido Hall in Ottawa on Sunday, liberal Mark Carney asked Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve the parliament and send Canadians to the April 28 poll.

At a press conference after meeting with Simon, Carney was pleased to receive questions about Smith’s comments, which allowed him to compare conservative leaders to Trump again. This is a general attack by liberals on Poilievre.

“About the Prime Minister’s comment, I noticed her consistency with Mr. Poilievre and Mr. Trump and would note that this is one of the decisions Canadians must make: they want a unified government, which is a government that sticks to Canada and is working hard for Canada and taking focused actions to build a better economy, or they want division and Americanism,” Carney said.

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Polls show that Trump’s tariffs and threats to Canadian annexation are the top concerns in Canadians. And there is no indication that Trump’s huge impact on Canadian politics will be reduced, as next week, on April 2, the president promises to impose “reciprocal tariffs” in many countries, including Canada.

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