Alberta Premier is visiting Montreal and Ottawa to discus Interprovincial and International Trade
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith will be traveling to Quebec and Ontario this week to meet with industry leaders in Montreal and international representatives in Ottawa, with the aim of identifying new trading opportunities for her province.
Smith’s visit to Montreal on April 9 will involve meetings with private sector representatives in energy, manufacturing, aviation, and transportation based in Quebec, as stated in a March 8 news release. Smith emphasized the need to strengthen ties with eastern Canada amidst geopolitical uncertainties.
Smith expressed, “As a nation, we are facing a great amount of uncertainty when it comes to our relationship with the United States and the broader geopolitical climate abroad. The time to be even more emboldened in our efforts to unite as a country is now.”
She added, “I am excited to build on Alberta’s long-standing friendships to find even more ways we can work towards the common goal of building and fortifying trade partnerships to better withstand external shocks.”
During the discussions, the premier will advocate for Alberta as a trade and investment partner, focusing on opportunities to eliminate red tape and interprovincial trade barriers.
The government highlighted the “natural synergies” between the Alberta and Quebec economies across sectors like transportation, technology, mining, and agri-food that could lead to enhanced collaboration, expanded export capacity, and increased job-creating investments.
The trade mission to Montreal follows Smith’s proposal last month to collaborate with the Quebec government to enhance provincial autonomy and limit federal overreach, an idea welcomed for discussion by Quebec.
Smith wrote to Quebec Premier François Legault on March 21, stating, “I see an opportunity before us, as the democratically elected leaders of Alberta and Quebec, to chart a path toward a new era in Canadian federalism.”
Prior to this, Smith had announced that her province would remove trade and labor mobility barriers for provinces adopting similar measures, as part of a nation-wide effort to strengthen Canada’s economy against U.S. tariffs. Quebec also took steps to reduce interprovincial trade barriers last month.
Following her Montreal visit, Smith will proceed to Ottawa to engage with international representatives seeking to enhance partnerships with Alberta during trade uncertainties. She will also meet with government officials and return to Alberta on April 11.
Given the upcoming federal election on April 28, boosting internal trade in Canada amid tensions with the United States has become a major campaign issue, with leaders proposing measures to remove interprovincial trade barriers.
