EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media website devoted to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park.
Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to forge ahead with his government’s major projects Bill C-5 in the coming weeks, a timeline colliding with what could be heightened tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Carney sent the signals during the second day of a premiers’ confab in Huntsville, which will wrap up Wednesday with closing comments from Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
The prime minister made brief public comments before speaking with provinces behind closed doors for much of Tuesday, briefing them on the state of negotiations between Canada and the U.S. amid hopes of securing a deal by Aug. 1.
Trump has threatened to hit Canada with a higher 35 per cent levy on that date, upping his previously imposed 25 per cent tariff on Canadian exports not protected under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Carney explained that Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who was also at the Huntsville gathering, will be in Washington this week for further talks ahead of that deadline.
Carney updated the premiers on the state of the negotiations, but Ford declined to divulge anything specific for fear of jeopardizing talks.
"I have all the confidence in the world in the prime minister and all the premiers working together," he said.
Still, Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault said they couldn't predict when a deal would get done, due to Trump's unpredictability.
Carney also looked past the timeline for a deal, telling premiers that a major projects office called for under Bill C-5 will be established by Labour Day to provide proponents, premiers and Indigenous communities a "single point of contact” for their nation-building infrastructure proposals. According to a release from the Prime Minister's Office, the Indigenous advisory council will also be “operational” by then.
“With that is a shift in attitude of the federal government towards major new projects, from ‘why build’ to ‘how to build and work together,’” he explained. “Part of that is continuous engagement with Indigenous peoples. This will be critical to our success.”
Carney made the comments after meeting with "hundreds" of First Nations leaders at a summit last week, which drew mixed reviews among chiefs, some of whom were optimistic that Ottawa wouldn't override their rights while others remained irked that the feds did not adequately consult communities. Such talks are expected to continue, with the prime minister noting he will meet with the Inuit Crown Partnership Committee later this week on Inuvik, N.W.T and Métis leaders in early August.
In a joint statement after the premiers met with Carney, and then again among themselves, provincial and territorial leaders said they supported Carney's push to make Canada a "global energy superpower."
They called for "adequate and flexible federal funding" for climate change impacts like forest fires; infrastructure and housing programs; and dual-use military and civilian projects in the Arctic.
Be ‘ready,’ says Ford
As Carney focuses on rolling out his controversial legislation, Ford urged him to ensure Ottawa is “ready” to clap back at Trump with retaliatory tariffs if the president makes good on his Aug. 1 threat.
The premier explained that it is his “personal opinion” and not that of all premiers, but hinted provinces also have their own cards to play in the negotiations.
“(Trump) needs to understand that when he goes out there and says, ‘I don't need Canada’ — well, I guess he doesn't need (Alberta) Premier (Danielle) Smith’s oil, great (Saskatchewan) Premier (Scott) Moe’s potash and uranium or Ontario’s high-grade nickel or any other critical mineral,” Ford said. “These are just a fraction of the items that he needs us (for).”
The premier said he didn't think he was the only one in the room calling for dollar-for-dollar retaliations, but that "you always have to be cautious."
"You don't want to trigger a complete war," he said, adding that Canada has to be "tough" because "they prey on weakness."
Ford also renewed his calls to “start onshoring” the manufacture of products targeted by Trump’s tariffs, such as steel and aluminum, and joined Smith and Moe’s push for Ottawa to drop the emissions cap by arguing they hamper development.
Ford said Carney was receptive to those calls.
"There was a lot of commitments and support, saying, 'Yes, let's get it done,'" the premier said.
Carney reiterated after the first ministers' meeting that he will only agree to the “best deal” for Canada “if that’s available,” but remained mum on specifics or what may happen if that is not achieved in the next week-and-a-half.
“We’ll take stock if there isn’t one that works, but that depends on the overall circumstance," he said. “The objective is not to have an agreement at any cost.”
Carney noted he’s held over 80 bilateral meetings since becoming prime minister, touting it as proof that Canada’s allies want to partner with Ottawa amid American trade uncertainty.
Ford said the prime minister slept over at his nearby cottage Monday night.
"We had dinner. We were up till 12:30 at night, chatting in front of the fireplace, solving all the world's problems," Ford said, as Legault chimed in with a remark about the size of his cottage.
"Yeah, I have a little shack down the street there," Ford said before gushing about Carney's business acumen and character.
"He's very humble. He listens. He's a smart business person," Ford said, adding that the prime minister is "a very good man."
"He's off to a good start. He's an honest man, too. He just wants the best for Canada. He doesn't need to be doing this, I can assure you that, but he's giving it everything he possibly can, and I think that's the consensus around the table," he said.
New kids on the block
Yesterday’s gathering opened with Ford noting that the players within the Council of the Federation could soon change.
Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok said he will not seek re-election in October to spend more time with his family, while Yukon Premier Mike Pemberton marked his first face-to-face with premiers since winning the territorial Liberal leadership in June. That follows Ranj Pillai’s decision to step aside as party captain and Yukon premier. The territory must hold an election by Nov. 3, though Pemberton has ruled out calling one during the summer.
Pemberton told Huntsville reporters on Tuesday that trade uncertainty is having a “major impact on the entire north,” while Akeeagok declined to stake a position on the emissions cap. Instead, he stressed that efforts to boost Arctic sovereignty by building infrastructure there is a “strategic card” that Canada holds in its talks with the U.S.
Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson added that while premiers are not “at the table” for those talks, he’s been “informed” that Arctic security is a factor in the trade negotiations. He added that in rolling out Bill C-5, Ottawa’s focus must be on restoring “trust” between Indigenous communities, industry and the government.
“What we need to do is change that relationship,” Simpson said. “Dialogue is what’s important here, ensuring that we can build that trust and that's what’s going to move these projects ahead faster and more efficiently.”
