Alberta Premier Smith links US midterms to tariff policy
Smith claims election results vindicate her approach to trade disputes, as Alberta announces new procurement policy.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Alberta Premier Smith links US midterms to tariff policy
Photograph: Global News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the US midterm election results, which led to Democrats controlling both houses of Congress, vindicate her government's stance on tariffs.
- Alberta's government announced a new policy to prioritize Albertan and Canadian companies for small government contracts, estimated at $350 million.
- Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi criticized the new procurement policy, stating it is two years too late and that wealth and jobs could have been created sooner.
- Smith also suggested the midterm results offer an opportunity to improve Canada-US relations and pointed to her government's efforts to build cross-aisle relationships.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 10 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 2 of the 12 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
45/100
12 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 10 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stated that the results of the US midterm elections, which saw Democrats gain control of both houses of Congress, vindicate her government's approach to tariffs. Smith told the legislature that her province has always objected to tariffs, believing they are harmful to both Alberta and the US. She expressed hope that the election outcome would present an opportunity to improve relations between Canada and the United States.
Earlier on the same day as Smith's statement, Alberta's government announced a new policy aimed at prioritizing Albertan and Canadian companies for small government contracts. Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally stated that this policy applies to approximately $350 million in government spending, representing about five per cent of procurement contracts. Nally added that 95 per cent of government contracts already go to Canadian companies and that the new measures are intended to help businesses impacted by current tariffs.
Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi criticized the government's new procurement policy, calling it two years too late. Nenshi argued that significant wealth and jobs could have been generated in Alberta if the policy had been implemented earlier, suggesting it should have been done when Donald Trump was re-elected. Nenshi also commented on the US midterm results, suggesting voters are tired of 'culture war' politics, and pointed to a government bill requiring neutrality policies at post-secondary institutions as an example of such politics.
Disagreement on policy timing
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stated that the US midterm election results are a vindication of her approach to tariffs. Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi stated that the government's new policy to prioritize Canadian companies for government contracts is two years too late. Nenshi suggested that wealth and jobs could have been created if the policy had been enacted sooner.
What the coverage left out
None of the reports below mention the specific US midterm election results beyond Democrats taking control of both houses of Congress. The reports do not detail which specific seats were flipped or the margin of victory for either party.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 5 Nov 2026, 13:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
7 rated outlets
- The left-rated report led on Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's statement that the US midterm election results vindicate her government's approach to tariffs. It reported that Democrats took control of both houses of Congress. The report also detailed Alberta's new policy to prioritize Canadian companies for government contracts worth about $350 million. It included criticism from Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi, who stated the policy was two years too late and that jobs could have been created sooner. The report also noted Nenshi's view that US midterm voters are tired of 'culture war' politics.
Centre
3 rated outlets
- The centre-rated outlets reported that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stated that Democratic victories in the US midterms vindicated her stance on tariffs. They noted her government's opposition to trade penalties and their negative effects.
- These reports mentioned that Democrats gained control of both houses of Congress. They also stated that the results were viewed as a rejection of President Trump's policies, including his trade practices with Canada.
- The Winnipeg Free Press and CTV News reported that Smith's government announced a new policy prioritising local companies for government contracts due to the trade dispute. Narcity's digest did not include this detail.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Alberta Premier Smith links US midterms to tariff policy?
- Of the 10 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 70% are rated left, 30% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 12. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Alberta Premier Smith links US midterms to tariff policy left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 10 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Alberta Premier Smith links US midterms to tariff policy biased?
- Alberta Premier Smith links US midterms to tariff policy is one event reported by 12 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Alberta Premier Smith links US midterms to tariff policy?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Alberta Premier Smith links US midterms to tariff policy?
- 12 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Alberta Premier Danielle Smith say about the US midterm elections?
- Premier Smith stated that the US midterm election results, which saw Democrats gain control of both houses of Congress, served as a vindication of her government's approach to tariffs. She expressed hope that the outcome would lead to improved relations between Canada and the United States.
- What new policy did Alberta announce?
- Alberta's government announced a new policy to prioritize Albertan and Canadian companies for small government contracts. Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally stated this policy applies to approximately $350 million in government spending.
- How did the opposition react to Alberta's new policy?
- Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi criticized the new procurement policy, stating it was two years too late. He suggested that significant wealth and jobs could have been created in Alberta if the policy had been implemented sooner.
Read it at the source
12 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
7- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterms ‘vindication’ of her approach to tariffs (opens Global News in a new tab)
Global News — is Global News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterms 'vindication' of her approach to tariffs (opens Coast Reporter in a new tab)
Coast Reporter — is Coast Reporter biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterm results 'vindicate' her approach to tariffs (opens thealbertan.com in a new tab)
thealbertan.com — is thealbertan.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterm results ‘vindicate’ her approach to tariffs (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterm results ‘vindicate’ her approach to tariffs (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterm results 'vindicate' her approach to tariffs (opens Rocky Mountain Outlook in a new tab)
Rocky Mountain Outlook — is Rocky Mountain Outlook biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterm results 'vindicate' her approach to tariffs (opens Bowen Island Undercurrent in a new tab)
Bowen Island Undercurrent — is Bowen Island Undercurrent biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
3- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterm results 'vindicate' her approach to tariffs (opens CTV News in a new tab)
- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterm results 'vindicate' her approach to tariffs (opens Narcity in a new tab)
- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterm results 'vindicate' her approach to tariffs (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
2- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterms 'vindication' of her approach to tariffs (opens Western Investor in a new tab)
Western Investor — is Western Investor biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Alberta Premier Smith says U.S. midterms 'vindication' of her approach to tariffs (opens Airdrie City View in a new tab)
Airdrie City View — is Airdrie City View biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
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