Alberta's Energy Trade with US at Center of Tensions

Alberta's energy trade with the United States has been a contentious issue in recent times. The Canadian Energy Regulator reports that the majority of Canada's oil, natural gas, and refined petroleum products are exported to the U.S.

Despite renewed trade tensions between Canada and the U.S., Alberta politicians and energy experts have resisted suggestions to use the oil and gas sector as leverage.

Smith has stated that imposing an export levy on energy exports to the U.S. would be more painful to Canadians than it's worth, saying 'Doing so would absolutely devastate the Canadian economy, it would not only extinguish the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Albertans, it would economically hobble our friends and neighbours in other provinces.'

One energy observer suggests that instead of focusing on punishing its biggest trade partner, Canada should focus on growing its energy customer base.