Prime Minister Mark Carney said a call between the Canadian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump will take place after the election of April 28.
“[The] president is waiting for the outcome of the election and see who has a strong mandate from Canadians,” Carney said during a campaign event on March 24 in Gander, N.L.
Carney was responding to a reporter’s question about what precise efforts he has made to speak with Trump. Asked to clarify his response, Carney said it’s an “interpretation.”
“But I think it’s a reasonable interpretation,” he said, adding “I’m available for a call, but we’re going to talk on our terms as a sovereign country, not as what he pretends we are, and on a comprehensive deal.”
Carney was sworn in as prime minister on March 14 and has yet to have a conversation with Trump. The U.S. president initiated a trade conflict with Canada after taking office, and has repeatedly spoken about making the country the 51st U.S. state.
Carney’s comments on seeking a “comprehensive deal” is an apparent reference to trade re-negotiations between Canada and the United States. The Trump administration has imposed two sets of tariffs on Canada in recent weeks, and is expected to impose additional reciprocal tariffs on every U.S. trade partner on April 2.
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Trump said last week former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and “his people” were “nasty” to deal with but also said, in reference to the upcoming Canadian election, that he prefers dealing with a Liberal prime minister.
“I think it’s easier to deal actually, with a Liberal, and maybe they’re going to win, but I don’t really care. It doesn’t matter to me at all,” he said during a March 18 Fox News interview, when the host suggested his actions were helping the Liberals make a comeback.
Trump’s comments around Canada’s sovereignty, and his tariffs and their impact on the Canadian economy, are shaping up to be important themes of the electoral campaign launched on March 23 when Carney asked the governor general to dissolve Parliament.
The latest Abacus Data poll suggests the most important issues for voters are reducing the cost of living and dealing with Trump and the impact of his policies.
Carney spoke on these themes at length during his second campaign stop in Gander, N.L., saying that Trump wants to “break” Canada to initiate a merger between the countries, but that “we will not let that happen.”
“We now are over the shock of the betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney. “We have to look out for ourselves and we have to look out for each other.”
Carney told reporters in Gander he chose this location as a campaign stop because of the “spirit of Gander,” in reference to when residents of the small city welcomed 68 diverted flights following the September 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States, which temporarily more than doubled the city’s population.
Carney said this was an example of the “unbreakable bond” between Canadians and Americans.
Carney called a snap election shortly after being sworn in, with polls showing the Liberals have closed the previous 20-point gap with the Conservatives.
The latest Abacus poll suggests Tories now lead with 39 percent of voters’ intentions, compared to 36 percent for the Liberals. A Nanos poll from March 20 gives 35 percent to the Tories and 34 percent to the Liberals, meanwhile Léger’s poll from March 17 gives 42 percent to Liberals and 39 percent to Conservatives.
The previous day on March 23, Carney made his first campaign announcement by promising a 1 percent tax cut on the lowest income-tax bracket.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre responded on March 24 by pledging to drop the rate from 15 percent to 12.75 percent for the same tax bracket.
Carney arrived in Newfoundland on March 23 after triggering the election and his rally was met by fish harvester protesters decrying cuts to snow crab harvesting. Carney acknowledged the protesters and said “we’re all here for sustainable fishery and sustainable livelihoods, and we’re going to make sure that happens.”
