COMMENTARY: Bell: Danielle Smith Calls Their Bluff, Gets Support From Team Canada

Boy, it is a good thing Alberta Premier Danielle Smith didn’t listen to the self-styled smart set.

It is a good thing Smith stood her ground and ignored the voices telling her to sign on to Team Canada and forget about standing up for Alberta and the oilpatch.

You want some good news.

Things are looking up. Not break out the champagne up. Not even buy a round of beer up.

But still an up. She’s moving the ball down the field.

Smith is scoring points with some of the premiers of this country.

She has not won the day but the situation is better than a few days back when she was being called out for not being a team player and disrupting national unity and idiots were calling her a traitor and actually meaning it.

The premier puts out a statement Wednesday.

Here’s a slice.

Smith sees “a growing consensus” on …. are you ready for this?

“The necessity of consulting with and securing consent from individual provinces before cutting off or placing export tariffs on key exports from those provinces.”

Smith opposes restricting or taxing Alberta oil to the U.S.

Here’s another.

The importance of building more pipelines east and west.

More border security. Let’s see the drones and the dogs and the cameras and the boots on the ground and show Trump that Canada finally means business.

Give him a win and more secure borders is a really good thing for both countries.

Does anyone have the number for Fox News, Trump’s station of choice? A picture is worth a thousand words.

There’s beefed-up military spending, living up to commitments made.

Before we go on, let’s remind each other how it was not so long ago when Smith was crucified by politicians and much of the chattering classes and the press because she does not believe everything is on the table in dealing with President Donald Trump hitting U.S.-bound Canadian goods with tariffs.

Let it be noted the cross-country scolding occurred even though Smith’s view is echoed by many wise sorts, including the esteemed economist Trevor Tombe, who wrote how the Alberta premier was right to push back.

“It’s common for political leaders to say all options are on the table but bad ideas really shouldn’t be,” wrote the man who knows his way around numbers.

There are 200,000-plus jobs tied up with oil and gas exports to the U.S. and four in 10 of those jobs are outside Alberta.

To say nothing of all the billions helping out other provinces through equalization.

As everyone who is paying attention knows, Smith is a big supporter of diplomacy and stayed after the Trump inauguration to chinwag with even more American political players about why Trump tariffs are not good for anybody.

Oh, this nugget is also from her Wednesday statement.

It talks about “a general agreement on the need to focus more on constructive, proactive diplomacy with U.S. lawmakers rather than escalating rhetoric.”

Smith believes there has to be more talk with the other premiers but, from her point of view, Team Canada is at least moving closer to a tariff-fighting position the Alberta premier can sign off on.

Listen to Quebec Premier Francois Legault.

“It is important that if we ask a province to make a special contribution that the province agrees.”

There you go.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, ready to go to the polls in his province within days, talks about Energy East and Northern Gateway pipelines, more oil going west and east.

As for an Energy East cheerleader, there’s also Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston.

Ford says he understands Smith “wants to protect her main commodity.”

He admits Smith hasn’t moved an inch on her position. Alberta oil won’t be a trade war sacrificial lamb.

Ford says of Smith: “We’re moving her along.”

Er … I think Ford has it the wrong way around.

She is moving the premiers along, at least some of them.

Let’s hear from Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, a fine fellow from a fine province.

In no way, shape or form does Moe want Canadian taxes on Canadian goods going stateside.

Moe believes there is no way the Canadian government should go after “the very products creating wealth for Canadians.”

“It’s pushing the conversation in the wrong direction,” says the Saskatchewan premier.

As for Feb. 1 being the big day where Trump strikes with tariffs, there is a growing body of opinion saying the big day will be after April 1, when a report on U.S. trade issues hits Trump’s desk.

No one knows for certain.

But many Canadians hope so.

After all, by then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be gone and a new government with a far tighter grip on reality will hopefully be in the saddle.

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