PM Carney meeting with premiers today before expected Sunday election call

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Prime Minister Mark Carney is hosting a gathering with Canada's premiers astatine the Canadian War Museum successful Ottawa connected Friday, with interprovincial commercialized connected the agenda.

The Prime Minister's Office and the bureau of Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed the details of the meeting.

The gathering comes 2 days earlier a national predetermination is apt to beryllium called.

U.S. President Donald Trump's commercialized warfare escalated past week arsenic the state imposed 25 per cent tariffs connected each alloy and aluminum imports entering the country, prompting Canada to efficaciously treble its retaliatory tariffs connected U.S. goods.

Trump has besides repeatedly suggested that Canada should go the 51st state.

Audrey Champoux, Carney's pb property secretary, says the premier curate has been wide that apical priorities for his authorities see defending Canadians successful the look of unjustified commercialized actions by the U.S., supporting workers and strengthening the economy.

"He committed during his enactment run that helium would enactment with the premiers to bash truthful and would convene a archetypal ministers' gathering astatine the earliest opportunity, which has present been scheduled for this coming Friday," Champoux said successful a statement.

"This gathering volition beryllium a accidental for each premiers and Prime Minister Carney to sermon the enactment ahead, including however they volition enactment collaboratively to make 1 Canadian economy, alternatively of 13."

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith volition beryllium attending virtually, portion Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey volition beryllium successful Japan for a commercialized mission.

Premiers attending successful idiosyncratic see Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt, P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, Quebec Premier François Legault and Ford.

Last week, Ford met with Carney for meal astatine Wally's Grill successful Etobicoke, Ont., wherever they discussed ongoing commercialized issues with the Trump administration.

But erstwhile a newsman asked Ford earlier this week whether helium had a amended narration with Carney oregon Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, Ford said helium didn't "know either 1 of them to beryllium frank" and that helium would "work with anyone."

"I don't correspond the national government, but what I'm trying to bash is proceed carrying connected these conversations," Ford said. "The past happening we privation to bash is interruption distant from the array and it starts going backmost and distant again. But yeah, there's going to beryllium challenges nary doubt."

With files from CBC's Meagan Fitzpatrick, Kate McKenna, Raffy Boudjikanian and Marina von Stackelberg