Premier Danielle Smith is once again headed to the U.S. later this month to continue her diplomatic approach to tariff talks amid a trade war with the United States.
Smith will travel to South Florida at taxpayers’ expense to talk about tariffs with conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro. Their conversation is part of a fundraiser for a non-profit organization called PragerU.
The Alberta premier’s strategy contrasts with the approach of provincial leaders like Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose aggressive actions include ripping up a $100-million internet service deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink and threatening to tax electricity exports to the U.S. On Tuesday, he agreed to suspend that action pending upcoming talks with U.S. officials.
Since U.S. President Donald Trump was elected in November, Smith has stressed diplomacy as a key political strategy. She visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago in mid-January, the first premier to do so after he threatened tariffs on Canadian goods.
This week, Smith is in Houston for the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference, which has been described as the Super Bowl of energy. According to the conservative media outlet Breitbart News Network, Smith spoke with its Washington bureau chief on the radio Saturday about trade, tariffs and Canada’s response.
Although Smith has recently supported Canada’s response, her efforts have been criticized in the past as flouting the “Team Canada” approach.
Why go this route?
The two types of strategy — Smith’s diplomacy versus Ford’s direct actions — both have merits, said Greg Anderson, a political science professor at the University of Alberta.
And both have caught the attention of Americans.
While many Canadians are applauding Doug Ford’s response to the ongoing trade war with the U.S., others worry about the feasibility and economic ramifications of counter tariffs. Metro Morning spoke to an economist who says the premier’s “tit for tat” approach won’t work — and Canada should be thinking about a “Plan B.”
Smith has made it a point to appear in media — like Breitbart and Fox News — that Republicans, including Trump, are watching. Anderson said that strategy is something that has been part of the Alberta playbook for decades to tout the importance of the province’s energy sector.
On top of that, Smith has also made it a point to make regular trips to the U.S., Anderson said in an interview Tuesday.
“Sometimes these things pay dividends, just in terms of ‘Hey, people are aware of what’s going on here and what people are trying to do.”
Where is Smith going?
The South Florida event is a gala fundraiser for Prager University Foundation (PragerU), which — despite its name — is not an accredited university and does not hold classes or grant degrees.
The U.S. non-profit describes itself on its website as promoting “American values through short educational videos for people of all ages.”
“Young Americans are being fed poisonous lies about the greatest country on Earth by our media, culture, and especially our education establishment,” reads its 2024 annual report. “PragerU is medicine for the mind, educating young people with the truth about America’s unparalleled liberty, endless opportunities, and moral goodness.”
Its work has expanded to include short books, lesson plans and worksheets.
Smith and Shapiro are the featured speakers at PragerU’s East Coast Gala on March 27. Single tickets to the event cost $1,500 US.
Shapiro describes himself as a conservative political commentator with 14.9 million combined followers on YouTube and X. His views are seen as controversial and some experts say his content is used by extremist, far-right groups.
Sam Blackett, Smith’s press secretary, said the premier’s travel and accommodation costs are being covered by the government.
“A key part of the premier’s U.S. advocacy is advancing Alberta and Canada’s message with the American people,” Blackett said in an emailed statement.
“Given Ben Shapiro has millions of followers on social media, strong connections within President Donald Trump’s administration, and believes the U.S. should lower tariffs on Canada … this event provides the opportunity for the premier to share and advocate for Alberta’s and Canada’s interests to millions of Americans and other key allies of the administration.”
Naheed Nenshi, leader of Alberta’s New Democrats, called on Smith to cancel the event, citing extremist views of Shapiro and the optics of participating in a fundraising event for a conservative platform.
“This American speaking tour won’t reduce Trump tariffs, but it will send a signal to Albertans that Danielle Smith is focused on her extremist base, not on them,” Nenshi said in a statement.
Will the strategy work?
Anderson said Smith is simply meeting Americans where they are.
“Say what you like about Prager or Ben Shapiro … any of these figures,” he said. “But if you’re trying to reach those in power in the United States these days, that’s who you need to speak with, because people are listening.”
Anderson acknowledged some Albertans will disagree with Smith’s decision to participate.
He said Smith’s choices are either to reject those types of outlets and not get her message out — or she can engage them, with caution.
WATCH | PragerU Kids publishes videos with problematic content:
Amarnath Amarasingam, an associate professor at Queen’s University, agrees Smith should approach the event with care.
Trump’s use of alternative media has influenced other politicians to use podcasts and other online spaces to spread policy ideas and messaging, said Amarasingam, an expert in extremism, conspiracy theories, online communities and more.
“She can kind of speak directly to an under-35, politically conservative audience without any real-time fact-checking or real-time pushback. So that’s a very comfortable space to be in,” he said.
Amarasingam said she could seek out more reputable conservative spaces but added, “I think she is prioritizing audience and virality and online dissemination over the kind of ick factor that would come with being associated with a group like this.”
But Smith’s planned appearance at the fundraiser makes little sense to Kevin Kruse, a history professor at Princeton University.
He said the venue could compromise her goal of straightforward talk about tariffs.
“If she wants to push back against that in front of that audience, sure, that would be a valuable thing,” he said.
“But generally what I’ve seen with people who go on those shows is they largely nod and smile and agree with their questioners and they don’t really push back. So if that’s the case, if she’s just there to curry favour with them, I think that’s a huge mistake and a missed opportunity.”
