Danielle Smith is in the midst of a two-week vacation right now, almost certainly at the Panama property she’s enjoyed in the past. She’d better enjoy her rest, because nobody should allow her a moment of it once she officially returns to work on Jan. 19. The too-cute-by-half game she’s been playing with the separatists who dominate her United Conservative Party has now gotten deadly serious — and threatens the future of both her province and country. 

The Trump administration’s incursion into Venezuela — and the various oil-related explanations for it offered up by President Donald Trump — should worry anyone with even a passing commitment to Canada. So, too, should America’s renewed willingness to threaten Greenland’s sovereignty and its apparent indifference to the objections of its NATO allies in Europe. Neither international law nor the bonds and obligations of treaty alliances are going to stop this rogue administration from pursuing what it defines as its political and economic interests. And if Venezuela’s oil reserves are an attractive target for Trump, Alberta’s might be damned near........

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