Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting Canada’s premiers in Ottawa on Thursday as the renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Free Trade Agreement (CUSMA) approaches and the trade war stretches on.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt spoke to reporters in Ottawa Wednesday as part of the Council of the Federation, calling for a “Team Canada” approach between the premiers and the prime minister heading into the upcoming trade negotiations.
“It’s his [Carney’s] job to make sure that we have a united country, that he’s out there selling Canada. But it’s also our job as provinces and territories to do the same thing. It’s a Team Canada approach,” Ford said.
Holt said she agreed with Carney that Canada’s relationship with the U.S. had fundamentally changed.
“I do agree with Prime Minister Carney that nothing is the same anymore with our relationship with the U.S., with what’s happening in the United States right now. We don’t recognize our longtime friends and trading partners,” she said.
The U.S. currently has multiple rounds of tariffs on key sectors of the Canadian economy, including steel, aluminum, autos and lumber.
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Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a 100 per cent tariff against “all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.” after Canada announced a trade agreement over canola and electric vehicles with China.
This prompted Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc to clarify that there was “no pursuit of a free trade deal with China.”
Despite the “Team Canada” rhetoric, provinces will have several issues to iron out. Among them is Ontario’s removal of Crown Royal whisky, bottled in Manitoba, from the shelves on their liquor stores.
When asked about the issue on Wednesday, Ford said Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew was “a pal of mine.”
Eyes will also be on B.C. Premier David Eby and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who have disagreements over a proposed pipeline from Alberta to the coast of B.C.
On Wednesday, Ford repeated his misgivings about Canada’s deal with China that would allow 49,000 electric vehicles into the Canadian market every year.
“I think I’ve been very clear how I feel about bringing in Chinese spy vehicles and that’s where I stand,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Carney said the internal review process for CUSMA is “finished in Canada.”
“We’ve had good conversations, good back and forth,” Carney said about his conversations with Trump when asked by reporters if he still had hope for a renewal of CUSMA.
“There’s a lot of work to be done for the review of CUSMA. That work has started with reviews in the United States, internal reviews and consultations. The work has started in Mexico. It’s finished in Canada,” Carney said before the Liberal caucus meeting.
Canada will be “ready to sit down” with both the U.S. and Mexico soon, he added.
The process leading up to this year’s scheduled review of CUSMA officially began in September 2025.
In December, Carney’s office said the federal government would formally start trade discussions with the U.S. on the renewal of CUSMA in January.
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