Poilievre and Singh weigh in on U.S. tariffs and Canadian response

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre are taking strong stances against U.S. President Donald Trump’s new 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods.

Singh called the move “probably the worst economic attack on our country” and is pushing for an emergency session of Parliament.

He said bringing leaders together would “send a message that Canada is united” and urged the government to introduce support measures similar to those used during COVID-19.

He also indicated that protecting Canadians from the impact of the tariffs should be all parties’ top priority right now, not an election.

Pierre Poilievre also didn’t hold back, saying, “President Trump stabbed America’s best friend in the back.” He laid out a three-part plan to counter the tariffs, which includes retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, encouraging domestic production to reduce reliance on American imports, and finding new trade partners for goods that Canada can’t produce itself.

Poilievre said that any revenue generated from Canada’s retaliatory tariffs should be used to fund tax cuts for Canadians.

He argued that putting money back in Canadians’ pockets would be the best way to counteract the economic impact of the U.S. move.

The CPC leader also criticized the Trudeau government’s previous efforts to address issues like fentanyl trafficking and border security, implying that more proactive measures could have prevented the current trade tensions.