Danielle Smith has urged far-left politicians to moderate their rhetoric following the assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump, which came after years of politicians and media calling him a “dictator,” “Hitler,” and a “threat to democracy.”
Speaking at the annual Council of the Federation in Halifax, Smith said the shocking incident in the US should give notice to those who use inflammatory language that’s often used to describe Canadian conservatives.
“Have you not looked at the headlines about how [Conservative Leader] Pierre Poilievre is described as dangerous? How the leader of the opposition in Alberta has described me as dangerous? When you start using that kind of rhetoric, that ends up creating an elevated risk for all of us,” Smith said.
The Alberta Premier emphasized the need for political discourse to focus on issues rather than personal attacks.
The assassination attempt on Trump occurred at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a 20-year-old fired multiple shots at the stage, one bullet grazing Trump’s ear. One Trump supporter was killed, and two others were injured before a Secret Service agent shot and killed the gunman.
“It’s unacceptable and I’m glad that we’re beginning to see that they recognize that things have gone too far,” Smith said.
“The way in which conservative politicians have been characterized is outrageous and I think led to the culture that we’ve seen in the U.S., and I certainly hope that some of the far-left politicians here are careful of their language because they’ve been talking about conservative politicians in the same way and they need to dial it down,” she added.
Smith’s remarks come amidst ongoing criticism from the Liberal Party of Canada, which has repeatedly labeled Pierre Poilievre a “far-right extremist” and likened him to Donald Trump.
CBC criticized Smith for her take, saying she once wished former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to put Canada’s Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault in his “crosshairs.”
