Carney grilled on US tariffs during his first question period in House of Commons
Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer welcomed Carney to the House before launching into a question about Canada's response to US tariffs.
"This is where democracy lives, and this is where we provide rigorous scrutiny on every word he says and every dollar he spends," Scheer said.
While Carney defended his government's response to US President Donald Trump 's tariffs, Scheer accused him of falling into "old Liberal habits of not being able to answer questions."
Scheer pressed Carney on his decision not to table a budget until after the summer. In reply, the prime minister shot back that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre 's 100-day plan during the election campaign also didn't include plans to table a budget — and referred to Poilievre as the "former" MP for Carleton.
Poilievre was absent from the House of Commons Wednesday for the first time in two decades after failing to win re-election in his riding. He did not sit in the gallery to watch question period.
Bruce Fanjoy, the new Liberal MP who handed Poilievre his first electoral defeat in more than two decades, was given a rousing standing ovation from his Liberal colleagues when he rose to deliver his first member's statement just before question period started.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet also went after Carney over tariffs, pointing out in a question that Tuesday's throne speech made no mention of trade or tariffs.
Carney made a small dig at Blanchet over his absence from the event; the Bloc leader had criticized Carney for inviting the King in the first place.
"The throne speech, for those who were there," Carney quipped, drawing laughter, even from Blanchet. "We heard about transformation of the global trade system, which is a crisis for Canada."
Carney took nine questions in both languages in his first question period.
Carney has chosen to depart from his predecessor Justin Trudeau's practice of taking every question on Wednesdays.
Trump, trade and Canada's sovereignty were also front and centre as the Liberal caucus met on Parliament Hill Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, hours after the King presented the speech from the throne in Ottawa — which included several lines asserting Canada's sovereignty — Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account that it would cost Canada $61 billion to join the planned "Golden Dome" missile defence program, or nothing at all if it joins the United States.
"Oh my God, he's got to give that stuff up. Never going to happen," Liberal MP Darren Fisher said on his way into the Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday morning.
"I take my lead from the people that I speak to in my community and across the country, and it's very clear that people want us to stand up for Canada's sovereignty," Justice Minister Sean Fraser told reporters.
"Obviously, we want to partner with the United States where possible, but we do have to stand up for Canada's interest economically and … from the sovereignty point of view."
Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia's office has confirmed that all 343 members of Parliament have now been sworn in.
Roughly a third of those MPs, including Carney, were elected for the first time in April.
Tom Kmiec, Conservative member of Parliament for Calgary Shepard, was named deputy Speaker and chair of committees of the whole on Wednesday.
Liberal House leader Steven MacKinnon told reporters six consecutive days have been set aside for debate on the throne speech before the government begins to table legislation. He did not say how many bills could be tabled during this short session.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
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National Observer
3 hours ago
- National Observer
Canada isn't losing the trade war — yet
Mark Carney told Canadians that he knew how to deal with Donald Trump. April's federal election results showed that voters wanted to believe him. But now, more than three months in and with the latest economic data starting to show signs of tariff-driven deterioration, Canadians are starting to wonder whether his handling of our relationship with America is going according to plan — and what that plan actually is. It's hardly surprising to see Conservative politicians, pundits and online influencers interpreting the developments coming out of Washington and Ottawa through the prism of their reflexive disdain for the Liberal government. There is an almost palpable glee in their mockery of the 'elbows up' catchphrase that helped him win the federal election in April. 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Global News
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Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The legislation would also make it easier for authorities to access information about internet subscribers, enable the health minister to more rapidly control precursor chemicals that can be used to produce illicit drugs and introduce new restrictions on large cash transactions. And ports of entry, transporters and warehouse operators will be required to allow Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials to conduct export inspections, matching existing requirements for import inspections. 1:34 Coalition of civil society organizations call for government to scrap Bill C-2 The Canadian Civil Liberties Association joined 39 other organizations in July calling on Ottawa to withdraw the legislation. 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