Manitoba PC leadership candidates condemn Trump tariffs, hold fire against president himself

Bartley Kives · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 10:05 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

The candidates to pb Manitoba's Progressive Conservative Party condemned Donald Trump's tariffs connected Canadian goods connected Friday but were much circumspect astir their opinions of the U.S. president himself.

PC enactment candidates Obby Khan and Wally Daudrich, who issued supportive statements astir Trump earlier this winter, said Trump's on-again, off-again tariff threats person undermined the Canadian concern environment.

"I'm uneasy astir what Trump is doing close now," Daudrich said Friday successful an interview.

"Here we are contiguous with a belligerent person to the southbound that is, I think, using immoderate mechanisms that helium tin to soften america up and marque america much pliable to his demands."

In January, erstwhile Trump was inaugurated arsenic president for the 2nd time, Daudrich took to societal media to congratulate Trump. He besides suggested astatine a nationalist forum that period that Trump's re-election has acceptable the array for socially blimpish authorities northbound of the border, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.

In February, during a podcast appearance, Khan thanked Trump for ordering up tariffs that the Fort Whyte MLA said contributed to Justin Trudeau's determination to resign arsenic Canada's premier minister.

On Friday, Khan insisted helium does not enactment the tariffs themselves.

"Under nary circumstances bash I deliberation that Trump's tariffs are a bully happening and would I ever convey him for thing that helium has done successful that regard," Khan said successful an interview.

"That menace unsocial has caused truthful overmuch uncertainty to businesses, Manitoba and Canada and connected the different broadside of the border, it's going to marque beingness harder for everyone.

"If anyone took it that mode that I was thanking Trump for the tariffs, not astatine all. It was a thankful comment that Justin Trudeau is gone."

Trudeau remains premier curate until the Liberal Party of Canada chooses a caller leader, thing slated to instrumentality spot Sunday, and that successor is sworn in.

On Wednesday, Premier Wab Kinew utilized the archetypal question play of a caller sitting of the Manitoba Legislature to gully attraction to Daudrich and Khan's earlier comments astir Trump.

"The enactment has devolved into contest into who tin suck up to Donald Trump more," Kinew said.

Daudrich suggested Friday helium does not subscribe to Trump's marque of conservatism but besides did not knock the U.S. president, beyond his attempts to bully Canada.

"We're getting enactment based connected our values," said Daudrich, referring to his run for PC leader. "Whether Donald Trump shares those values oregon not, I tin look astatine it from day-to-day and say, 'Yes, no, yes, no.' I americium an autarkic person."

Khan, meanwhile, declined to accidental what helium thinks astir Trump beyond his economical policies and bullying behaviour.

"If we're talking astir the tariffs and the economics of Manitoba, we person to basal up to Trump. You person to basal up to a bully erstwhile a bully is coming down connected you," Khan said. "We person to basal agreed arsenic a country, which I deliberation is really happening close now."

Both Khan and Daudrich said Manitoba has to turn its system and destruct interprovincial commercialized barriers successful effect to the U.S. tariff threat.

Daudrich besides criticized Kinew's effect to the tariffs, calling his determination to region U.S. intoxicant for Manitoba liquor store shelves a determination "so symbolic, it's pathetic."

Daudrich and Khan person been campaigning to go Manitoba's adjacent PC person since October. The deadline to motion up caller enactment members closed connected Feb. 28.

The enactment intends to message enactment ballots to members adjacent week and denote the victor of the contention astatine a normal slated for April 26.