Premier Danielle Smith greets officials at Redcliff Rec-Tangle Arena on March 4, 2025. Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

By Eli J. Ridder

THE PREMIER'S VISIT

U.S. tariffs to headline Premier Smith’s second day in Medicine Hat

Mar 5, 2025 | 8:00 AM

Premier Danielle Smith’s visit to Medicine Hat will continue today with a large focus on the trade war started by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA will be flanked by four of her cabinet ministers this afternoon as she gives her first in-person response to the levies.

During a town hall Tuesday evening, Smith hinted that she may reveal a national initiative with her counterparts to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers.

She said it would be a “a comprehensive mutual recognition agreement” that would allow for trade to flow more freely, as first reported by CHAT News.

Smith faced questions over the AHS procurement scandal, education funding and various other topics at the town hall, though the trade war loomed large.

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Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright, who joined Smith at the forum, revealed Cypress County will be getting an urgent care centre through funding in the 2025 Alberta budget.

An urgent care center is a medical facility that treats non-life-threatening health concerns that require same-day or evening care, according to Alberta Health Services.

The centres can help take the strain off hospitals as they allow people to seek treatment for minor injuries and sickness without requiring an emergency room visit.

Further details on the county’s urgent care centre were not immediately available.

Smith’s first public stop in the riding Tuesday was at Redcliff Rec-Tangle Arena, where she presented a cheque on behalf of the Alberta government.

The Redcliff Minor Hockey Association was awarded $740,000 from the province’s Community Facility Enhancement Program to cover half the cost of replacing the aged machinery.

While Smith didn’t offer any comment to reporters, she received a tour of the arena and spent time talking to constituents about the trade war launched by Trump.

Smith is expected to speak to reporters during her events this afternoon.