Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney ahead of his upcoming meeting with the U.S. president, asking Carney to deliver on promises he made during the spring election and negotiate an end to U.S. tariffs.
With Carney set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 7, Poilievre said the prime minister has failed to negotiate a deal that would lower U.S. tariffs on Canada. While Carney had promised to make a deal with Trump by July 21, with the deadline being eventually moved back to Aug. 1, the two leaders have not yet reached an agreement.
“You promised to ‘negotiate a win’ and now U.S. tariffs on Canada are twice as high as when you were elected saying you would get rid of them,” Poilievre wrote in the Oct. 6 letter posted on social media.
The United States has placed a wide range of tariffs on Canada this year, including 50 percent levies on steel, aluminum, and copper, 25 percent tariffs on vehicles and auto parts, and 10 percent tariffs on oil and potash. It has also imposed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian exports not covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was increased to 35 percent in August.
Trump has also pledged to put 25 percent tariffs on kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, and associated products, 10 percent tariffs on timber, as well as 100 percent tariffs on branded and patented pharmaceuticals, and tariffs on foreign movies and semiconductors.
Carney previously met with Trump in the Oval Office on May 6, and while he said afterward the discussions were “very constructive,” he did not announce any tariff relief and could not say when tariffs may be lifted. Trump had said during the meeting in the White House that there was nothing the prime minister could say to get him to remove the tariffs, adding “that’s just the way it is.”
The Oct. 7 meeting between Carney and Trump is expected to focus on “shared priorities in a new economic and security relationship” between the two countries, according a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. Canada and the United States recently launched consultations in preparation for the USMCA renewal in 2026.
Poilievre said Carney needed to “deliver the promised wins” by negotiating an end to U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber, steel, aluminum, copper, and automobiles and auto parts. He also called for Carney to “get rid of Buy American rules that discriminate against Canadian builders.”
“We only expect you to keep your promises … I am always happy to help because we all must put Canada ahead of our parties,” Poilievre said.
The Liberal government has argued that Canada has a better trade situation with the United States than many other countries because it enjoys tariff exemptions under the USMCA, which has given Canada one of the lowest effective tariff rates in the world.
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc told MPs on international trade committee on Oct. 2 that he remains hopeful that the two countries can reach a deal before the USMCA review in 2026, but said he could not provide a timeline for when a deal could be finalized. “Time will tell us if my optimism is misplaced,” LeBlanc said.
