Poilievre takes aim at Carney's ability to handle Trump and his tariffs

John Paul Tasker · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 12:38 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took purpose astatine his Liberal hostile Thursday implicit his handling of the Canada-U.S. relationship, saying Mark Carney has truthful acold "failed" to unafraid immoderate tariff alleviation for Canada, adjacent arsenic different countries get thing of a break.

Carney, meanwhile, said U.S. President Donald Trump's much-maligned "reciprocal" tariffs ne'er applied to Canada successful the archetypal place, and helium has agreed to beryllium down with the Americans close aft this predetermination — if helium wins — to negociate a broad caller economical and information agreement.

As portion of his three-pronged tariff plan, Trump past week announced immense "reciprocal" tariffs connected virtually each state successful the satellite but Canada and Mexico. The information that Canada dodged these peculiar tariffs was seen arsenic a victory, and Carney called it advancement and "the champion of a bid of atrocious deals."

On Wednesday, Trump relented and temporarily dialled backmost the much onerous tariff rates for 90 days aft the banal marketplace tanked amid the commercialized chaos.

"Other countries got a intermission successful tariffs portion helium failed to unafraid 1 present successful Canada," Poilievre said of Carney during a lodging announcement successful Milton, Ont.

But Trump is inactive pushing up with a "reciprocal" 10 per cent tariff connected goods coming from astir each state — again, but Canada and Mexico, which were ne'er deed by these peculiar tariffs — and a new, higher 125 per cent complaint for each Chinese goods aft that state retaliated.

"This, of course, happened aft Prime Minister Carney boasted helium had had a productive telephone with President Trump and that helium had made 'progress.' What progress? There are much American tariffs connected Canada contiguous than determination were erstwhile Prime Minister Carney took office, portion dozens of different countries person secured pauses," Poilievre said.

WATCH: Poilievre condemns Trump for keeping tariffs connected Canada: 

It's existent that Trump has hit Canada harder than different countries with immoderate of his different tariff schemes.

The president's antecedently announced planetary levies connected steel, aluminum and astir foreign-made autos are inactive successful effect, and U.S. importers volition person to wage tariffs erstwhile they bring those Canadian products stateside.

Trump's levies to punish Canada for supposedly being a large root of fentanyl and migrants — based connected exaggerated claims that are not backed up by borderline information — are besides successful effect, but Canada has secured immoderate exemptions to those tariffs nether the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

Still, Poilievre said the Liberal person should person gotten much retired of Trump.

"Carney's biggest predetermination committedness and distraction are empty. He's telling you to hide astir the mislaid Liberal decennary of rising costs, crime, taxes and lodging prices due to the fact that he's someway a magical negotiator, but we're learning that is not true. He does not power President Trump — nary 1 does," Poilievre said.

Despite stating no Canadian person tin power Trump, Poilievre also said helium volition enactment to "end the tariffs connected Day 1 aft the adjacent election" if helium wins.

Poilievre has antecedently pitched pausing Canadian retaliatory tariffs arsenic portion of a propulsion to hammer retired a caller commercialized woody with Trump.

Carney said this ballot is "the astir consequential predetermination of our lifetime," and he's moving hard to correspond Canada successful its negotiations with the U.S. implicit the aboriginal of the bilateral relationship.

"The stakes person ne'er been higher," helium said. 

Carney said helium spoke with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, earlier Thursday and helium is pressing for person commercialized ties with like-minded, "reliable" allies present that the Canada-U.S. narration is connected shaky ground.