Noteworthy:Smith cuts Trump from the Christmas card list

By Bruce Penton on March 12, 2025.

Hooray for Premier Danielle Smith, who stood tall last Wednesday by going to bat for Alberta and Canada in the tariff fight against U.S. President Donald Trump. Until she did that, during a press conference in Medicine Hat, Smith had been slapped with a negative label in Canada for not forcefully decrying the tariffs which, if they aren’t lifted or reduced, will have crippling effects on Canada’s economy, its jobs and, yes, even its way of life.

NDP leader Naheed Nenshi, meanwhile, criticized Smith’s action, which is what opposition parties are obliged to do. Nenshi said he agreed with everything the premier said, but that she should have done it earlier. OK, point taken, but she did it, and that’s really what matters.

Smith said her government would eliminate, or at least reduce, its purchases from U.S. sources and would help Canadian grocers and other retail outlets with their encouragement of a ‘buy Canadian’ approach, financially helping them label products as Canadian-made or at least produced in countries with which Canada has trade agreements. As well, inter-provincial trade will be encouraged and the premier said Alberta would expand its export markets for its vast oil and gas products to countries other than the U.S.

Oh, and she said she would eliminate Donald Trump’s name from her 2025 Christmas card list.

But what are we Albertans supposed to do about our closely-knit association with the U.S.? Do we quit watching cable TV originating in the U.S? Will Netflix be banned from our entertainment options? Do we restrict our football watching to the Canadian Football League and ignore the NFL? Do I have to give up my Apple MacBook Air computer and get a Canadian equivalent? Is there a Canadian equivalent?

How isolationist must we become? Will the ‘economic force’ President Trump threatened to use to force Canada to become the 51st state become a reality? Would the Irrational One decide one day to drop a bomb on a mid-sized Canadian city and say ‘there’s more where that came from and what are you going to do about it?”

Ridiculous? Yes, that last one is probably not going to happen, but nobody thought across-the-board 25-per-cent tariffs would be slapped on a good neighbour and close friend with whom trade relations have been cordial, solid and economically beneficial to both countries for decades.

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Correction: Last week’s Noteworthy discussion about the Saamis Solar Park said its eventual 325 megawatt output would meet the needs of about 2,400 homes.Wrong. Not even close.

Depending on who you talk to, or what website you might find, anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 homes would be powered by an output of 325 megawatts. As they might say in the world of electricity, I’m shocked.

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Wisecracks on the internet about daylight saving time:

– Resetting my clock. Can I bump it four years?

– I can never keep this straight – do the tariffs move forward or back tonight?

– Says a meme: “A busy night at Stonehenge as workers move all the stones forward one hour.”

– What am I giving up for Lent? An hour of sleep, because of stupid daylight saving time.

– We could have the best of standard time and daylight saving time if we just got rid of clocks altogether and set off to go live in the forest.

– I don’t have to adjust that clock I never changed at the end of daylight saving time last year, proving once again that my supposed apathy is just remarkable patience.

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Short snappers: NASA scientists have determined that the perfect length of time for a nap is 26 minutes. That prevents nappers from going into a deep sleep. â€¦ The two major political party leaders in Canada, Mark Carney of the Liberals and Pierre Poilievre of the Conservatives have one thing in common: They both say they will fight the good fight against the U.S. in the current tariff/trade war. “Canadians are always ready when someone else drops the gloves,” said Carney. Said Poilievre: “We will always put Canada first. My message is this: Canada will fight back.” â€¦ The Yuill Family Gallery at Medalta is showcasing until April 6 some beautiful pottery produced by members of the Medicine Hat Potters’ Association. That could be 30 minutes out of your day that you won’t regret. â€¦ Elon Musk may be saving America, but his car company could use some of his attention: Tesla sales in Germany, China and Australia are down more than 70 per cent. â€¦ Columnist Steve Burgess in The Tyee says March didn’t come in like a lamb or a lion but “thanks to Donald Trump, like a rabid woodpecker.”