OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he is waiting to speak to American lawmakers and argue Canada’s case “at the appropriate time.”
Poilievre made the comments in a podcast episode that aired Thursday as he prepares to return to the House of Commons next month, fresh off last week’s byelection win in rural Alberta.
“At some point, at the appropriate time, we will be engaging with American lawmakers to make the case for Canada and to make the case for the North American relationship,” Poilievre told The Elev8 Podcast, which comments on Canadian politics.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s efforts to strike a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump to lower or outright remove his tariffs on Canadian goods have dominated his first four months in office since winning the April federal election.
That election saw Poilievre try to keep his focus on cost-of-living and crime issues, which prompted concerns within his own party and internal debates that he was failing to pivot fast enough to address the Canada-U.S. relationship.
Before the campaign began, Poilievre decided against voicing public support for what former prime minister Justin Trudeau termed his “Team Canada” approach for dealing with the U.S., with Conservative caucus members making scant mention of Trump.
Since then, Poilievre has stated that Conservatives were willing to work with Carney’s government to help secure a deal for Canada, but that he has not heard back.
Reached for comment, a spokesman in his office reiterated that Poilievre and his critic for Canada-U.S. relations “have reached out multiple times to offer any and all help to the Carney Liberals in negotiations with the Americans,” however, their “invitation has not been accepted yet, but it remains on the table.”
“While it is normal for Opposition leaders and (critics) to maintain relationships with their U.S. counterparts, we believe negotiations should be conducted along one official channel,” a spokesman said.
“Conservatives remain ready to assist securing the best deal for Canada. We will always put Canada first.”
A response from the office of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who is Carney’s lead on negotiating with Trump officials, has not yet been returned.
LeBlanc returned on Wednesday from his latest meeting in Washington with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Carney and Trump spoke by phone on Aug. 21, the day before the prime minister announced Canada was dropping some of its retaliatory tariffs.
LeBlanc told The Canadian Press upon his arrival back in Canada that the meeting with Lutnick was “constructive.” The pair met on Tuesday morning for 90 minutes, roughly 30 minutes longer than what was initially scheduled. While the details are still being negotiated, both LeBlanc and Lutnick agreed to keep their conversations private.
During the podcast, Poilievre said his thinking when it came to getting involved in discussions with the Americans was that it should be “lawmaker-to-lawmaker” and “executive-to-executive.”
“I would not meet the executive branch, officially, of a foreign country without at least seeking some sort of cooperation with the government,” he said.
“Otherwise, the risk is that you’re trying to create a dual negotiating track, and I don’t think that is good for the country.”
The Conservative leader also pointed out that when Brian Mulroney met with former Republican president Ronald Reagan in 1984, before he would go on to win that year’s election, Mulroney did so with the “blessing” of former Liberal prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and that Canada’s ambassador to Washington was present.
In terms of who Poilievre has spoken to, his office pointed to comments he made last month to CBC that he had spoken informally to Republican Rep. Pete Sessions and other American politicians who were attending the Calgary Stampede, where he reiterated Canada’s position, but has not engaged in formal discussions or travel to the U.S.
Poilievre has accused Carney of breaking the promise he made during the spring election campaign that he was the leader most able to negotiate with Trump by so far failing to strike a deal.
He has also said that Carney has offered more concessions to the American president than Canada has received in return, pointing to the scrapping of the digital services tax, which would have targeted U.S. tech companies, and the lifting of Canada’s counter-tariffs on U.S. goods in compliance with the free trade agreement between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
Carney has defended doing so as necessary to strike a deal with the U.S., and defended his approach by saying Canada was paying one of the lowest tariff rates, given U.S. exemptions to goods covered by the countries’ free trade agreement, which is scheduled for review in 2026.
While a large majority of Canadian goods are covered by the deal, the country is still dealing with U.S. tariffs applied to certain sectors, such as steel and aluminum, lumber, automobiles, and copper.
-With files from The Canadian Press
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