Ontario Premier Ford Encourages Poilievre to Work With Carney When House Returns

Ontario Premier Doug Ford meets with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Aug. 18, 2025. The Canadian Press/Patrick Doyle

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre should work collaboratively with Prime Minister Mark Carney when the House of Commons returns in the fall.

“Work with the prime minister. It’s team Canada,” Ford said in Ottawa as he was meeting Prime Minister Mark Carney on Aug. 18 when questioned by reporters on the issue.

“Let’s put our political stripes aside and start working together collectively on large infrastructure projects and other areas that he can cooperate with the government.”

Ford made the comments following a meeting with Carney in Ottawa to discuss building up Canada’s economy. When asked if he had plans to meet with Poilievre to relay this message, Ford responded that he does not “care about political stripes” and wanted to continue working with the prime minister.

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s doing a really, really good job, considering the position he’s been put in,” Ford said regarding Carney.

Poilievre is likely to return to the House of Commons following a byelection in the Alberta riding of Battle River—Crowfoot on Aug. 18. Poilievre lost his seat of Carleton in Ontario after the April 28 federal election, but Tory MP Damien Kurek stepped down in June to give Poilievre a chance to run in his riding.

Poilievre and Ford had tense relations following the April 28 election, as the Ontario premier was criticized by some within the Conservative Party for not campaigning alongside Poilievre, and because his campaign manager criticized the federal Conservatives’ campaign. Ford said days after the election that Poilievre “never came out in our election” and that “one of his lieutenants” had told members not to support the Progressive Conservatives during the Ontario provincial election in February.

Progressive Conservative campaign strategist Kory Teneycke criticized Poilievre’s campaign team during the election, accusing them of blowing their wide lead in the polls and referring to it as “campaign malpractice at the highest level.”

Poilievre has not commented on his relationship with Ford since the election, but said on May 13 that his party would support the Liberal government when it came to issues that are in Canadians’ interests, and that they would not “reflexively oppose everything the government does.”

After the April 28 election loss, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani criticized Ford PCs, saying they interfered with the federal Conservative campaign.

“I think he’s not doing a great job at running this province, and now he’s trying to exercise his influence over other levels of government,“ said Jivani, who in the past worked for the Ontario PCs and had clashed with Ford and his cabinet ministers.

Taxes, Regulations, and US Tariffs

After his meeting with Ford, Carney said that the two will keep working to reduce costs and build the economy.

“Good to have Premier Ford in Ottawa today,” Carney said on X.

“We’ll keep working together to bring down costs for Ontarians, make it easier to afford a home, support workers impacted by tariffs, and build one, strong Canadian economy.”

For his part, Ford said Carney is doing a “really good job,” and added that he wants Canada to reduce taxes and regulations to become more competitive.

Ford said he wants to see Canada become the “most competitive market in the G7” by reducing taxes and getting rid of “unnecessary regulatory burdens.” When asked about the chances of Canada and the United States reaching a trade deal, Ford said the “main one” for the two countries to focus on was renewing the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) in 2026.

“I won’t speak for the prime minister. What I can tell you, we’re united on the message of, let’s start worrying about how we can be competitive here,” he said. “Donald Trump is so unpredictable, I don’t even know if he knows what he’s doing tomorrow morning.”

Canada sought to reach a trade deal with the United States before the Aug. 1, but was unable to do so, and the 25 percent tariffs the United States had put on Canadian goods outside of USMCA were increased to 35 percent.

Ford was also asked if he had plans to travel to Washington, D.C., anytime soon to discuss trade, but said “not lately.” He added that he would eventually return to the U.S. capital to give U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, whom Ford has spoken with often regarding tariffs, “a little poke.”

“He needs a couple more pokes. Don’t worry, I’ll poke him,” Ford said.