GUNTER: Time for Ford to get out of bed with Carney, back Alberta premier
Ontario premier had very public, very cordial breakfast with Liberal PM-elect in runup to writ being dropped
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So, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is unhappy with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her hints at a separation referendum next year in Alberta. Well, the feeling is mutual. Ford isn’t very popular or respected in Alberta.
I’ve taken to calling Ford the Liberal Premier of Ontario. I know he styles himself as a Conservative, but after his behaviour during the recent federal election an outside observer unfamiliar with his party affiliation would be forgiven for assuming Ford and Liberal Leader Mark Carney were political bunkmates.
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Ford had a very public, very cordial breakfast with Carney in the runup to the writ being dropped. He lauded the head Liberal on several occasions, before and during the campaign, including calling him “a very bright individual” who “understands finances like no other person.” And Ford admitted he would welcome working with Carney.
Ford stopped just short of joining Carney on stage during a campaign rally or appearing with Carney in a Liberal campaign ad.
Now Ford is mad at Smith because she won’t play along with Ford’s Team Canada approach to the Canada-U.S. trade war. Well, Smith isn’t exactly pleased with Ford’s refusal to help out Team Conservative. So there.
On Monday, in an online address, Smith laid out Alberta’s case against the Liberals in Ottawa. For the past 10 years (and off and on for decades before that), the Liberals have “demonized” Alberta and layered one environmental regulation on another to try to shut down the oil and gas business.
Just in lost investment, the Liberals’ No More Pipelines Act (Bill C-69), their oil tanker ban off the West Coast, their emissions cap on oil and gas production, EV mandate that insists every new vehicle sold in Canada be all-electric by 2035, net-zero power grid, plastics ban and censoring of oil companies or executives who speak out against climate alarmism has cost Alberta $300 billion — maybe more.
Doug Ford would probably understand Premier Smith’s position better if the Trudeau government had spent its nearly 10 years in power trying to shut down (or at least hobble) the Ontario auto industry.
At least when Ottawa dictated that all new cars and light trucks would have to be EVs by 2035 they followed up with tens of billions of tax dollars to Ontario plants to subsidize EV and battery manufacturing. Even if you think, as I do, those EV subsidies were wrong, you can still get my point. Ottawa didn’t offer Alberta much of anything by way of compensation when it tried to decimate the oil and gas business.
So forgive Albertans if they resist being lectured by Premier Ford about getting all Kumbaya with Ottawa and Team Canada.
On Tuesday, in response to Smith’s Monday address (which included the possibility of Alberta holding an independence referendum next year if enough citizens sign a petition demanding one), Ford said “You know, united we stand, divided we fall and we have to be united, Canada together, to fight President Trump’s tariffs.”
That’s easy to say for a premier whose province hasn’t been singled out by Ottawa the way Alberta has.
From a practical standpoint, consider that Premier Ford adopted a confrontational approach to the U.S. (including threats of shutting off Ontario electricity to portions of three states) while Premier Smith pursued a more diplomatic approach. And now Ontario metals and automobiles are subject to 25 per cent tariffs when entering the States, while Alberta oil is taxed at 10 per cent.
Hmm.
Alberta is also concerned that behind Prime Minister Mark Carney’s dour banker’s façade he is at least as “green” as Justin Trudeau and will continue the Liberals’ anti-Alberta campaign.
If Doug Ford wants to head a united Team Canada, he would do better to encourage Carney to treat Alberta’s demands seriously, rather than scolding Premier Smith.
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