Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is demanding that Prime Minister Mark Carney reveal the cost of Canadian counter-tariffs on the United States set to go into effect Sept. 8, as well as disclose the full deal reached before trade negotiations with Washington broke down Aug. 21.
Poilievre charged that Carney accepted a deal and asked his premiers and caucus to back it before negotiations fell apart.
“There must have been a written record of that deal, and there’s no reason not to share with Canadians,” Poilievre said in a Sept. 7 press conference in Regina. “They deserve to see it so that they can judge what we are fighting for and what we are fighting against,” he added.
In terms of counter-tariffs, Poilievre noted that Carney has acknowledged they could have negative impacts and said this information should be shared with the public.
“The prime minister … obviously has an analysis on how his counter-tariffs will increase inflation and costs for small businesses,” Poilievre said. “We just wanted to release that analysis so that single moms, small business owners, seniors know what they’re going to have to pay.”
The Liberal government has introduced a $7.5 billion plan to help industries and workers affected by the tariff war.
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Negotiation Breakdown
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the new 50 percent tariffs on roughly $27.6 billion of Canadian goods on July 20, stating they would go into effect Aug. 19.
Counter-Tariffs and Their Cost
Following U.S. 50 percent tariffs going into effect Aug. 22, Ottawa announced counter-tariffs on approximately the same value of American goods that would go into effect Sept. 8.
Carney said on Aug. 22 that the counter-tariffs could have a negative impact on Canada.
In response to these counter-tariffs, Trump announced that new 50 percent tariffs on Canadian auto parts and vehicles will go into effect at the start of 2027.
In his Sept. 7 remarks, Poilievre noted that University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe has estimated Canadian consumers could experience roughly $4 billion in cost hikes due to the counter-tariffs and that lower-income Canadians will bear the brunt of the impact.
“Mr. Carney obviously has done an economic study before he would impose this. Clearly, no government would impose billions of dollars of tariffs without having studied what the impact would be on Canadian consumers,” Poilievre said.
“We’re just asking him to share that data with Canadians.”
Poilievre’s Pitch
In addition to asking that the draft agreement between Canada and the United States be released in full and that Ottawa’s analysis of the impact of counter-tariffs be released, Poilievre called on the Carney government to create an “economic action plan.”
He said the plan should outline how to save Canadian jobs, cut taxes, speed up project approvals, and attract more investment into Canada.
