Premier Danielle Smith speaks in Edmonton on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024. CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

By Canadian Press, Eli J. Ridder

PROVINCIAL POLITICS

Premier Smith, despite criticism, set to leave for U.S. event with far-right influencer

Mar 25, 2025 | 2:28 PM

Premier Danielle Smith is getting set to fly to Florida for an event hosted by a far-right U.S. influencer, with her chief of staff calling the foray a patriotic act of courage by a “noble” leader.

Smith is to make a speaking appearance this week with conservative media personality Ben Shapiro at an upcoming fundraiser for PragerU, despite weeks of calls for her to cancel.

Alberta’s Opposition NDP is renewing its demand that Smith abandon the trip, saying she is using taxpayer money to fundraise for an extremist organization after she’s asked Americans to interfere in Canada’s election.

“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,” NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said in a statement.

Rob Anderson, the premier’s chief of staff, says Smith is heading into what he calls the “lion’s den” to keep tariffs from being levied and called those who oppose the move “cowards.”

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Shapiro has recently made social media posts appearing to support the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state of the U.S.

It comes as Smith faces criticism for telling a U.S. media organization she urged U.S. officials to pause implementing tariffs on Canada during the election, as the tariff threat was hurting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

“Because of what we see as unjust and unfair tariffs, it’s actually caused an increase in the support for the Liberals,” Smith told right-wing Breitbart News in a recent interview.

The premier said she asked the Trump administration to put its tariffs “on pause” until the federal election is done.

“Let’s have the best person at the table make the argument for how they would deal with it. And I think that’s Pierre Poilievre,” she said in the interview.

Observers from across the political spectrum, including conservative figures in Alberta, were quick to criticize what some considered to be foreign interference in the election.

The Alberta NDP said Monday that “calling for a pause on tariffs to politically benefit one party or another isn’t the right approach.” An Alberta columnist wrote Smith “seems far too cozy with the adversary.”

Any suggestion that Smith asked the U.S. to interfere in Canada’s election is “offensive and false,” a spokesperson for Smith told reporters.

While many premiers across Canada have enjoyed a boost in polls as Canadians react to the U.S. trade war, Smith’s approval rating has remained largely the same.

Forty per cent of Albertans strongly disapproved of her job as premier in a new Angus Reid poll released Tuesday.

At 46 per cent approval, Smith is the second-lowest premier. She’s ahead of Legault at 38 per cent and behind the recently re-elected Doug Ford at 48 per cent.

Smith received a dominating 91.5 per cent vote of support from her United Conservative Party members in a scheduled leadership review vote in November 2024.

Smith is scheduled to meet with Shapiro, the right-wing figure, on Thursday in Florida.

— With files from David Opinko