Canada well-positioned to navigate trade war and leadership transition, says Malpeque MP

Thinh Nguyen · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 12:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

As Canada faces challenges connected the commercialized front, Malpeque MP Heath MacDonald says the state is successful a coagulated presumption to grip them, especially with Mark Carney astir to instrumentality implicit arsenic premier minister.

The recently elected Liberal person won a landslide triumph successful Sunday's enactment vote. He met with departing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau connected Monday to sermon cardinal issues, including Canada-U.S. relations and President Donald Trump's tariffs connected Canadian goods.

MacDonald said Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly person done "a tremendous job" successful handling the commercialized warfare launched by the U.S. president, and present Carney volition play an advisory relation successful the team.

"We're successful a beauteous bully presumption close now, with his diplomatic and economical worth that helium brings to the table. He's known astir the world," MacDonald told CBC's Island Morning.

"We were told yesterday by Dominic LeBlanc that there's radical close successful the White House that cognize Mark Carney. So it's a worth that I deliberation could play into our hands. So I deliberation we're looking guardant to the adjacent fewer weeks."

Double commercialized war

Last week, Trump paused the implementation of a 25 per cent tariff connected Canadian exports that comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement until April 2.

However, further tariffs connected alloy and aluminum are acceptable to instrumentality effect connected Wednesday.

Initially, the tariff was acceptable astatine 25 per cent, but connected Tuesday Trump directed his administration to enforce an further 25 per cent tariff connected Canadian alloy and aluminum imports, bringing the full to 50 per cent. This determination comes successful effect to Ontario's determination to enforce a 25 per cent surcharge connected each U.S.-bound energy arsenic portion of its retaliatory measures against Trump's tariffs.

The U.S. president has besides signalled determination is occupation connected the skyline for Canada's car sector, which received a impermanent reprieve with past week's pause.

In a amusement of goodwill pursuing Trump's intermission connected the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement tariffs, Canada agreed to hold its 2nd circular of retaliatory tariffs worthy $125 cardinal until April 2. However, the national government will not assistance the tariffs it levied connected $30 cardinal worthy of American goods aft Trump launched this commercialized war.

"The $30 cardinal that we enactment on, the monies that are coming backmost done those tariffs are acceptable aside. As Mr. Carney said yesterday, fundamentally they're going backmost to the workers of those industries oregon sectors that are deed the hardest," MacDonald said.

Meanwhile, China has announced caller tariffs connected Canadian cultivation and nutrient products, including seafood, retaliating against levies Ottawa introduced successful October connected Chinese-made electrical vehicles, alloy and aluminum products.

The determination adds different furniture to the ongoing commercialized tensions.

"There's a batch to do, a batch going on," the Malpeque MP said. "I deliberation radical are looking towards Mark Carney arsenic idiosyncratic that tin lead, you know, this geopolitical concern that we find ourselves successful and beryllium of worth to Canada."

Upcoming election

MacDonald said helium attended a caucus gathering connected Monday wherever Carney addressed MPs arsenic the modulation of powerfulness began.

"It'll beryllium the adjacent mates days earlier we tin adjacent determine connected however rapidly the predetermination tin beryllium called," helium said.

When the predetermination comes, MacDonald said helium plans to question re-election arsenic the MP for Malpeque.

MacDonald, who antecedently served successful provincial authorities and was erstwhile considered a imaginable enactment campaigner for the provincial Liberals earlier seeking national bureau successful 2021, said helium often gets asked whether helium is funny successful the provincial Liberal leadership, fixed that the enactment presently has an interim leader.

"Right now, with everything that's going connected successful the state and astir the world, I'm going to absorption connected the national campaign," helium said.

Raising P.E.I. concerns successful Washington

MacDonald precocious returned from an authoritative travel to Washington, D.C., wherever helium and different MPs advocated for Atlantic Canada's interests with American politicians and concern leaders.

He said the travel gave him penetration into increasing concerns among Americans astir the economical interaction of the commercialized war.

"We are starting to spot a small spot of an undercurrent successful the U.S.... comparative to the wide public, and they're starting to spot and say, 'Why are we doing this? Why are we warring with our neighbours? And our outgo of surviving is going to rise,'" MacDonald said.

During his meetings, helium besides spoke with the Washington-based National Potato Council.

He noted that portion American exporters person been progressive successful the Mexican market, Canada has not yet explored that opportunity, truthful that's a strategy helium believes could assistance trim Canada's reliance connected the U.S. market.