Carney holds meetings in Ottawa before latest Trump tariffs

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OTTAWA — Liberal Leader Mark Carney will be putting on his prime minister’s hat on Wednesday to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest round of tariffs.

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Carney will be chairing a virtual meeting of the Prime Minister’s Council on Canada-U.S. Relations at 3 p.m. ET. After Trump’s announcement, around 5:30 p.m., he is expected to meet with his cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. Relations and National Security.

Is it unclear if Carney will be updating Canada’s response to the newest tariffs Wednesday evening or if new measures will wait until Thursday.

During a campaign stop in Winnipeg on Tuesday, Carney confirmed that Canada would retaliate to any additional U.S. tariffs, but promised that the response would not disadvantage Canadian industry and workers relative to the Americans.

“We are going to be very deliberate in terms of the measures we take to fight for Canada … but also to protect (and) to have that minimal impact in Canada,” he said.

Carney spoke to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on the eve of Trump’s announcement about increasing trade between both countries amid “challenging times ahead” with the Americans, according a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office.

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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised for his part to accelerate the renegotiation of the free trade agreement between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

“CUSMA must be renegotiated anyway next year. Why wait? Why not get it done now? Why not end the uncertainty that is paralyzing both sides of the border and that is also costing us jobs today?” he said during a keynote address in Toronto.

“We should set a firm date to finalize a new deal, and I will propose that both countries pause tariffs while we hammer out that deal,” he said.

More to come…

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