Albertans evenly split on Danielle Smith’s handling of U.S. tariffs, says poll​on February 6, 2025 at 8:18 pm

Albertans’ views of Premier Danielle Smith’s handling of possible U.S. tariffs are evenly split, with the issue of middling importance in the eyes of voters, states a new Leger poll.

The online survey of 1,002 people conducted Jan. 24-26 shows 36 per cent of respondents disapprove of Smith’s approach to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of import taxes, while 35 per cent back her and 30 per cent expressed neutrality.

It closely mirrors respondents providing a 38 per cent approval of the government’s tariffs stance — the exact same number opposing it.

Some Albertans — and Canadians — have credited Smith for showing considerable hands-on leadership on the issue while others have accused her of breaking Canada’s united front by pushing to have the energy sector exempted from any possible tariffs.

The issue came out of nowhere in January to become the fifth largest concern among those polled, with 8 per cent of respondents viewing the topic as the top priority.

Health care, inflation, the economy and housing affordability in that order were ahead of tariffs as Albertans’ top concerns.

That saw-off on tariffs likely reflects the current political divide in Alberta largely drawn between the NDP and UCP but also a sentiment that views Smith’s approach in separate components, said Andrew Enns, Leger’s executive vice president for central Canada.

“They see her defending Alberta’s energy interests, which is good but they also see her trying to make nice with (U.S. President) Donald Trump which is not so good,” said Enns, adding that saw-off most explains the 30 per cent neutral tally.

“She’s going down to Mar-a-Lago to get her picture taken and he’s saying horrible things about Canada.”

The 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian exports — which were put on pause by Trump on Monday for another 30 days — only reached the second tier of concern among Albertans because they’ve yet to be imposed, he said.

But if they do take effect and impact the cost of daily goods like groceries, said Enns, that could quickly change.

“The actual impact on regular people from tariffs is largely unknown but if there’s another spike in prices, it’s going to cause those concerns to rise all over again,” he said.

And although Albertans appear split over Smith’s handling of the tariff threat — characterized by shying away from criticizing Trump, leaning towards diplomacy and even meeting some U.S. trade demands — the issue is likely to ultimately boost UCP popularity overall, said Enns.

“It’s sucking up a lot of airtime for the premier, she’s seen as leading the charge on this and it’s very challenging for the opposition to get in on this issue,” he said.