Premiers pose for a group photograph before speaking to reporters at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.Ben Curtis/The Associated Press

Mark Lawson was chief of staff to Ontario’s minister of economic development and trade, deputy chief of staff to the premier and chief of staff to the finance minister.

With a federal election campaign in its home stretch, Canadians can be forgiven for paying less attention to the premiers. But it was not that long ago that they made a big push in engaging the United States, when all 13 of them made headlines for piling into a van to visit the White House.

They have drawn criticism for that White House meeting in general and interventions by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in particular. However, each of these efforts should be acknowledged for the fact that they did not occur inside a co-ordinated plan driven by Ottawa. Instead, the premiers dropped everything to dedicate time and effort to a foreign policy crisis outside their typical remit.

They, not Ottawa, led the case for Canada-U.S. trade. As this election marches to its conclusion, provinces should reflect........

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