To President Trump From One Proud Canadian – Can We Trade Alberta For California?

It Could Be Win-Win For Both Of Our Countries

A Commentary by Doug Draper (and yes, I’m that proud Canadian)

Posted March 24^th on Niagara At Large

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith making a pitch for what matters most – more pipelines (paid for by Canadians at large, for  more tar sands production

Even before she was elected Alberta’s premier in 2022, it seemed like Danielle Smith did not care much for being part of a Canada she viewed as a meddler in her province’s right to do whatever it wants.

Not long after she assumed office, she championed a ‘sovereignty act’ which basically told the rest of Canada that if her government didn’t like something other provinces and territories, in concert with the federal government, were agreeing to do for the betterment of all, her province would just circle the wagons and not do it.

Interestingly enough, that ‘stay-out-of-our-face’ posture never seemed to apply when Alberta need money from taxpayers across the rest of Canada to subsidies the cost of new pipelines for the tar sands or to help repair the damage caused by catastrophic wildfires.

Now, with the rest of the country pulling together in a ‘Team Canada’ effort to fight back against Trump’s relentless threats to slam products from our country with punishing tariffs and his most troubling threat of all – to turn Canada into a “51^st state” – Smith has been nothing but a burr in our saddle with all of her demands for exemptions from any counter-tariffs the rest of us are prepared to live with in support of our economic well-being and our sovereignty.

Then here were her trips down to Mar-A-Lago and Washington to bow before the self-proclaimed “king.” In the Oval Office for special treatment for her province when  it comes to slapping tariffs against her masters back home  in the oil and gas industry.

Smith down at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago palace this past January, with Canadian businessman and Trump friend Kevin L’Leary this past January, charming the newly elected U.S. president for breaks for Alberta.

Most recently, as reported by several Canadian media outlets, including a CTV news broadcast I will post here for those who may have missed it, Smith has reached out to the Trump administration through right-wing podcasts and other venues in the U.S., to “pause” any further tariffs Trump is threatening  to slap on our products as soon as this April 2^nd .

And why? Because, in so many words, she has stated that to slap more tariffs  on us now might help Mark Carney and his the federal Liberals (already surging in the polls) and might hurt the chances of Pierre Poilievre, her Trump-like pal and leader of the federal Conservatives, from winning enough seats in the April 28^th federal election to become Canada’s next prime minister.

Smith can now deny all she wants any charge coming at her that she has invited Trump to use the ongoing tariff war he has started to meddle in our federal election, but she seems to forget (or at least wants us to forget) that there is a record of her words and actions that still stand.

But before you click on the CTV report below to watch for yourself, please allow me to propose something that could be a win-win for Smith and for the rest of our country.

Why don’t we Canadians invite the State of California –  a “blue state” that overwhelmingly voted against Trump and for the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in last November’s presidential election – to join Canada?

Californians may say not accept such an invitation, but you never know.

I, for one, have heard many Americans in predominantly blue Democratic states like California and New York and Massachusetts say that with Trump now in charge, they are now thinking very seriously of moving to Canada.

And just think, if Californians accepted our offer we would be adopting a state with an economy that rivals many countries around the world and one that is a significant producer of food.

Then there are some great educational institutions like Berkeley and some equally great cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Oh, and there is Hollywood too, with all of its world-class film studios.

Alberta Premier-Danielle Smith with former South Dakota Governor Kristy Noem who is now Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security and who has recently been to the Canada-‘U.S. border, engaging in her own insults about Canada becoming a 51st state. Hello Danielle. You forgot to wear your cowboy hat.

For all of that, we can give them Alberta where it appears that Danielle Smith and many of her far-right conservative supporters would be quite happy to see her fit right in as governor of America’s 51^st state.

Our Team Canada would be stronger without her too.

All in all, I believe that Canada would be getting the better half of the deal.

Now here is the CTV report that you can view by clicking on the screen immediately below –

NIAGARA AT LARGE Encourages You To Join The Conversation By Sharing Your Views On This Post In The Space Following The Bernie Sanders Quote Below.

“A Politician Thinks Of The Next Election. A Leader Thinks Of The Next Generation.” – Bernie Sanders