Carney meets Trump as Conservatives urge him to “negotiate a win”

Carney is heading to Washington this week for his second visit to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump amid growing pressure to secure relief on American tariffs.

Source: Facebook

Prime Minister Mark Carney is heading to Washington this week for his second visit to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump amid growing pressure to secure relief on American tariffs.

Carney will travel to Washington on Monday evening, ahead of a meeting with Trump on Tuesday, his office said on Friday.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the visit will focus on “shared priorities in a new economic and security relationship” and preparations for the first joint review of the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

The CUSMA trade deal accounts for nearly one-third of North American GDP, with 85 per cent of Canada’s trade with the United States currently tariff-free, according to the government.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre released an open letter to Carney on Monday, urging him to “negotiate a win” for Canada and deliver on campaign promises to reduce tariffs and defend Canadian workers.

“You promised a deal by July 21, 2025. Still no deal,” Poilievre posted on X.

“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.”

The letter accuses Carney of backing down on dollar-for-dollar countertariffs, the digital services tax, and other measures while “winning nothing in return.”

Poilievre said Conservatives are “cheering for the win that Carney promised Canadians,” but warned that returning with “excuses, broken promises and photo ops” would represent failure.

Poilievre called on the prime minister to eliminate U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber, steel, aluminum, copper and automobiles.

The trip comes as Ottawa and Washington prepare for upcoming CUSMA consultations and trade tensions heightened by Trump’s summer tariff announcement on Canadian goods.