The Canadian province of Alberta is immediately halting purchases of US alcohol and changing its procurement rules to respond to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, while focusing longer-term efforts to export more oil and gas to other markets. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Wednesday that she still doesn’t support taxing or reducing oil and gas exports to the US, but that the province will work on building pipelines to Canada’s coasts to increase shipments to Asia and Europe. The province is home to the world’s third-largest crude reserves and supplies the vast majority of the 4 million barrels a day of oil the US imports from Canada. Alberta’s resources are “significantly larger and far more accessible than the quickly declining oil and gas reserves located in the United States,” Smith said at a press conference Wednesday. “Whether the US president wishes to admit it or not, the United States not only needs our oil and gas today, they are also going to need it more and more with each passing year.” Canada’s federal and provincial governments have rolled out a series of countermeasures this week in response to Trump’s tariffs, with policies targeting US alcoholic beverages among the common options. Provincial governments in Canada have control over alcohol distribution and in some cases even run retail stores. Ontario and British Columbia have already begun pulling US products off those shelves. Smith said she’s also pursuing longer-term measures to strengthen Canada’s economic position, including free trade and labor-mobility agreements with other provinces. Premiers of neighboring provinces have also shown some receptiveness in recent weeks to pipeline projects that would allow Canada to export energy to non-US markets, she said. “There is a real spirit of collaboration among the premiers,” Smith said. Possibilities include a spur line off the Trans Mountain oil pipeline or a revival of the Northern Gateway crude conduit to British Columbia, Smith said. The northern territory of Nunavut is interested in developing Grays Bay for rail, road and pipeline projects, she said. Other potential projects include an export link to Alaska and infrastructure on Hudson Bay, where ice breakers can clear a path for ships. A revival of the Energy East oil pipeline from Alberta to Canada’s east is possible if a path can be found that avoids Montreal, Smith said. ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Alberta plans to reduce its alcohol purchases from the U.S. and modify its procurement practices as a response to actions taken by Trump.
