Premier Danielle Smith speaks in Halifax on July 16. The premier and Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA says U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has valid concerns about its shared border with Canada, and Alberta plans to do what it can to help.--CP FILE PHOTO
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Premier Danielle Smith says the province could begin monitoring the border with Montana in hopes of heading off potential tariffs promised by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
“Alberta will be acting urgently and decisively to patrol our own shared border with Montana, with more details to be announced soon in that regard,” said the MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat on Wednesday in a meeting of first ministers.
Those discussions between premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau centred on strategies to mitigate potential trade fallout outlined by the former U.S. president who was re-elected this month.
He promised a 25 per cent tariff on goods entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico until action is taken to stop drug smuggling and illegal immigration.
Smith stated she opposes tariffs, but Trump and his supporters “have valid concerns related to illegal migrants and drug smuggling at our shared border.”
“We know the problem is much more serious at the Mexican-U.S. border, however that does not diminish the need for the federal government and every province bordering the United States to take immediate steps to crack down heavily on these illegal border activities.”
Smith has said she will attend the U.S. inauguration in January 2025 and has had public discussions with several U.S. governors about the continental energy market.
The Alberta-Montana border stretches about 300 kilometres from Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
The Port of Wildhorse, located 160 km southeast of Medicine Hat, is one of six reduced-hours ports and one 24-hour port along the expanse.
Figures published by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service states that agents in Montana recorded 13,853 encounters with individuals at the Canadian border between ports of entry over one year from October 2023 to Sept. 2024. That includes areas of Montana adjacent to B.C. and Saskatchewan.
The figure for the entire northern section of the U.S. CBP was 198,929 for the same time frame, while 2.1 million were encountered at the U.S. southwest border with Mexico.
It has been reported that between October 2023 and July 2024, officers had nearly 19,500 encounters, with about 75 per cent along Quebec’s border with New York and Vermont.
The similar figure from the southern border with Mexico was 102,000 alone in September 2024.
