Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is questioning why Prime Minister Mark Carney promised he could handle U.S. President Donald Trump, given that the two countries have yet to finalize a trade agreement that would see Canada granted some tariff relief.
Speaking to CBC’s Rosemary Barton Live, Poilievre said Carney has not delivered on what he promised during the spring election campaign.
“Mr. Carney promised a good deal by July 21. He promised he could negotiate a win with President Trump. Those were his promises,” he told host Rosemary Barton.
“Some might say, ‘Look, it’s unrealistic to expect to get that from President Trump.’ So why did he promise it? It wasn't just that it was a promise. It was the promise.”
WATCH | Poilievre criticizes Carney for not securing deal with U.S.:CBC News chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks to the Leader of the Official Opposition Pierre Poilievre about the disintegrating trade talks between Canada and the U.S.Carney’s key message during the spring election campaign was centred around dealing with the U.S. administration.
Negotiators were working toward a potential deal on tariffs until Trump abruptly called off trade talks in a late-night social media post last week. The president said his decision was due to an advertisement by the Ontario government that uses former U.S. president Ronald Reagan's own words to send an anti-tariff message to American audiences.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said Carney apologized for the ad, which was pulled off the air on Monday — but not before it was played over the weekend, including on American networks during the World Series.
“I have a very good relationship [with Carney]. I like him a lot, but what they did was wrong. He was very nice. He apologized for what they did with the commercial,” Trump said on Friday in a scrum with reporters on Air Force One.
The Prime Minister's Office has not confirmed whether Carney personally apologized for the ad.
Trump also said he has no plans to resume trade talks with Canada.
When asked how he would handle the relationship with Trump, Poilievre argued boosting the economy would put Canada in a position of strength and rang off some of his promises to get major projects built.
But he suggested that speculating if his approach would work better than Carney’s isn’t helpful at the moment because he isn’t prime minister.
“What we do know is that Mr. Carney is prime minister — has been for seven months — and these are the results that he's got,” he said.
“His failures abroad are costing us at home.”
The full interview with Poilievre will air on Rosemary Barton Live, Sunday at 10 a.m. ET.