Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is demanding Prime Minister Mark Carney immediately recall Parliament to deal with the fallout from failed trade negotiations with the United States and escalating tariffs threatening Canadian jobs and consumers.Poilievre made the demand Monday in a letter to Carney, arguing MPs need to return to Ottawa to scrutinize the abandoned trade deal and the government's response to the growing Canada-U.S. trade dispute.“We must put the national interest first,” Poilievre wrote. “The failure to secure a durable trade agreement, together with escalating tariffs, now threatens deeper economic pain on top of a decade of rising costs and zero economic growth in the Canadian economy.”Poilievre said Parliament must urgently address three issues: what was contained in the proposed agreement with the U.S., the potential cost of the trade dispute to Canadian families and the threat tariffs pose to Canadian industries and jobs.The Conservative leader called on Carney to publicly release the proposed trade agreement that was under discussion before Canada ended negotiations.“What precisely was in the proposed deal that you appeared willing to accept until late last week when you suddenly decided to end talks?” Poilievre asked.“It is time for you to release the text of the deal you read and rejected. The U.S. administration has seen it. Your government has seen it. Canadians must see it to judge what options are on the table.”Poilievre also demanded details on how retaliatory Canadian tariffs would affect grocery, gasoline and other consumer prices.Carney has previously pledged dollar-for-dollar retaliation against U.S. tariffs, according to Poilievre, who noted the prime minister has also described tariffs as taxes.“Canadians are already paying the worst food inflation and carrying the worst household debt in the G7,” Poilievre wrote. “Insolvencies are at their worst since the Great Global Recession. How will you avoid worsening this inflation?”He also demanded to know where revenue collected from retaliatory tariffs would be directed..Poilievre said Parliament needs to debate measures to protect Canadian steel, aluminum, lumber and automotive workers affected by U.S. tariffs.He called for tax and regulatory reductions, including eliminating the industrial carbon tax, repealing bills C-69 and C-48 and approving what he described as 500 stalled economic projects.“Parliament must enact real tax and regulatory reform and reduction to jolt our economy back to life,” Poilievre wrote.The Conservative leader also accused Carney of making a false claim about repayment of construction debt for the Gordie Howe International Bridge before toll revenue would be shared with the United States.“Transparency is especially important after you claimed that Canada would fully repay construction debt used to build the Gordie Howe Bridge before sharing the tolls with the United States,” Poilievre wrote. “That was false, but the truth only became public when we saw the deal.”Poilievre said opposition MPs must be allowed to question the government over its handling of the trade dispute and Canada's economic situation.“Parliament’s duty is to hold government accountable,” he wrote. “That job has never been more pressing.”Poilievre said Conservatives are prepared to return to Ottawa immediately.“In a crisis that defines the future of our people and our country, Conservatives are ready to return to Parliament, to act with the urgency our people demand, and to put Canada first.”
