Latest news with #CouncilOfTheFederation
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Interview with New Brunswick Premier Holt
Atlantic Watch New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt discusses the recent Council of the Federation meeting.
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘We have his back': Prime minister, premiers take united approach in trade talk strategy
The Council of the Federation's three-day summer session in Huntsville, Ont., wrapped up Wednesday. The primary focus of the meetings has been the ongoing negotiations with the White House. On July 10, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. will charge a 35 per cent tariff on Canadian imports starting Aug. 1. 'Well, look, if President Trump has taught us anything, it's that we shouldn't get hung up on anything because he can change his mind at the drop of a hat and a deal isn't a deal,' said New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt. 'So that's the real challenge for all of New Brunswick's entrepreneurs is, no matter what happens on Aug. 1, are we going to be able to trust that that's then going to stay in place for any foreseeable length of time?' Holts says the consensus is the end result is more important than the speediness of the result. 'I think we've realized that there is a possibility to end up in a much worse situation than the one that we're in now, while we push to end up in a better situation,' said Holt. 'So, it's figuring out what is that push to get a better deal to get rid of those tariffs that doesn't risk us finding ourselves in a much worse position.' Holt says Canada needs to reach a place where there is confidence that the deal that is struck is going to be adhered to by the president of the United States. 'Canada has been under U.S. tariffs for a very long time. This isn't new, as much as it might seem new, and the folks in softwood lumber could speak to that. There's different tariffs that have been in place for different sectors. In some cases, on and off,' said Holt. 'The goal is a tariff-free environment, certainly for softwood lumber, but also for all of the Canadian economy.' 'We have his back' Prime Minister Mark Carney has shifted the goal post in the trade talks between Canada and the United States from a tariff-free deal to getting the best deal possible. 'We are only going to accept the best deal for Canada. We'll take stock if there isn't one. A good deal is something that preserves, reinforces and stabilizes those relationships as much as possible. A good deal is also one that doesn't tie our hands,' said Carney. 'There's always a possibility for this to go sour. So, I think the premiers gave the PM the reassurance that we want the best deal possible. We have his back. We don't want him to take a deal that isn't good for New Brunswick or Canada because of a deadline,' said Holt. Several other premiers shared a similar message Wednesday afternoon, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford. 'With a united Team Canada approach, we're going to build and protect the true north strong and free,' said Ford. Former New Brunswick premier Brian Gallant said Canada needs the U.S., but shouldn't forget tariffs would cause economic pain on the other side of the border, too. 'To see the premiers at and the PM stay united despite the fact there are many political parties represented in the group of 14, so I think that's the number one outcome from these meetings,' said Gallant. 'I think it's also putting Canadians on notice that we may indeed have more uncertainty.' 'Similarly impatient' Holt said the premiers are 'similarly impatient' about a new internal trade agreement. '(We) want to come up with that new Canada free-trade agreement that is simple and clear and eliminates every barrier possible, recognizing that we're each unique provinces,' said Holt in an interview with CTV Atlantic's Todd Battis. 'We each have a thing, whether it's land in P.E.I. or fish in Newfoundland, that needs to be treated differently, but everything else has to go. Particularly in the transport sector. We need to be able to move New Brunswick products to the people in Manitoba or Saskatchewan or B.C. who really want them without that truck having to go through red tape and barriers and change flags and change first aid kits. We're all impatient for that work to be done and to bear fruit.' Memorandum of understanding Holt signed a memorandum of understanding with Premier Wab Kinew of Manitoba to expand the market opportunity for New Brunswick entrepreneurs, without adding administrative burden or new cost. 'I think anytime that we can introduce a new province to our goods and in such a way that makes it easy for entrepreneurs here who might have thought, 'Ah, it's not worth me learning the regulations of Manitoba and figuring out what different packaging I'd have to create for my product in order to sell it there,' said Holt. 'Or, now they can take the product they're already making, the packaging that they already have, and they can send it to Manitoba to sell to new customers without that added cost or added work.' With files from CTV Atlantic's Todd Battis and Nick Moore.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Prime Minister Carney to update premiers on U.S. trade talks as Aug. 1 deadline looms
HUNTSVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA — Prime Minister Mark Carney says he'll update the premiers on the state of trade negotiations with the U.S. as they meet this morning in Ontario's cottage country. He says Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be in Washington, D.C., over the next few days and "we are only going to accept the best deal for Canada." The premiers are gathered to talk about eliminating internal trade barriers and U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to impose 35 per cent tariffs on a wide variety of Canadian goods on Aug. 1. Ontario Premier Doug Ford is again calling for Canada to match the U.S. tariffs "dollar for dollar," saying strength is the one thing Trump understands. He says the federal government needs to be ready to support industries hit hard by the trade war, and Canada needs to onshore production of things like aluminum cans and steel beams to avoid tariffs. Ford, who chairs the Council of the Federation, says it's refreshing for premiers to work with a prime minister who "has our backs." Carney also commended the premiers on the series of trade agreements they've signed to open up access to internal Canadian markets. Earlier in the morning, Ford joined the premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan in announcing a new memorandum of understanding calling for the construction of new pipelines using Ontario steel. The agreement also calls for new rail lines to be built to help ship critical minerals from yet-to-be approved mines in Ontario's Ring of Fire region to Western Canada. - with files from Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025. Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Doug Ford Doctrine: 'We really have to flex our muscles'
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is hosting Canada's premiers in Muskoka starting Monday at a Council of the Federation summer gathering. Premiers of the 13 provinces and territories can look forward to enjoying Alberta-bred and Ontario-fed beef on the grill at the Ford family cottage. They will have a special guest: Prime Minister Mark Carney. 'For the first time ever that I can remember,' Ford says, 'the prime minister is invited. That would have never happened with Trudeau, but it's happening under Mark Carney. And he's going to be welcomed with open arms.' Rather than the premiers getting together 'to bitch and complain about the federal government,' Ford chuckles, 'we get to present it right to him (Carney) as he's sitting around the dinner table and we're talking to him.' 'The access is phenomenal,' Ford says of his own relationship with the PM, 'I'll message him, he gets right back to me. It's all about communication and relationship-building. 'And, he's a very, very great business person,' Ontario's premier enthuses, listing off Carney's credentials (without a mention of potential conflicts of interest). 'He gets it,' Ford says. 'He's going to go in there and he's going to clean house in Ottawa, which is well overdue.' Figuring out how Team Canada will respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration of a blanket 35 per cent tariff on goods imported from Canada as of Aug. 1 — on top of previously implemented tariffs on auto parts, steel, aluminum and copper — will no doubt be the premiers' top priority in cottage country next week. 'Elbows up or elbows down? What's the strategy, now?' I ask Ford in a recent call. 'We have to negotiate through strength,' Ford responds, 'and we really have to flex our muscles and make sure President Trump hears us.' 'Because in closed-door meetings and in our phone calls with governors — and they pull a lot of weight, I heard that from (U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard) Lutnick — Republicans don't want this,' Ford reports 'Democrats obviously don't want this, and Republicans don't want it. But they're terrified to say anything publicly,' he says. Only a few U.S. senators have spoken up, Ford adds, 'and God bless them.' Carney is advancing several strategies — promoting free trade within Canada; negotiating a security and trade pact with America, in good faith; and at the same time, forging strategic partnerships with the EU to beef up security and defence alliances and boost trade and economic security. This week, Carney announced measures to protect the nation's steel industry, including guarding against foreign steel entering Canada to bypass Trump's tariffs. Breaking down trade barriers between provinces is a strategy Ontario has embraced; the province has signed memorandums of understanding with all provinces except Quebec, B.C. and Newfoundland. And Ford sees other cards to be played, other ways to pressure the Trump administration for a fair trade deal. 'I've been very transparent with Secretary Lutnick, we're going to start on-shoring everything,' Ford says. 'We're going to on-shore the steel beams, the I-beams. We have more cranes in the sky in Toronto and the GTA than their top 10 cities combined.' 'We're going to on-shore the aluminum cans, the beer cans … to make sure we don't have to see a tariff of 25 per cent on the aluminum going down (to the U.S.), they convert it, print it, and send it back up (to Canada) with another 25 per cent; that's 50 per cent.' Ford's government is giving incentives to companies — to turn aluminum into cans, produce steel I-beams, and manufacture steel rails used in transit projects. This strategy tracks with Carney's recent commitment to rely more on Canadian steel for Canadian projects. 'Canada buys more off the U.S. than China, than Japan, than Korea, U.K. and France combined,' Ford elaborates. 'We're their largest customer, and yes, they're our largest customer. But Ontario alone employs nine million Americans who wake up every morning to build a widget or provide a service to Ontario alone.' '(Americans) are going to feel the pressure,' Ford says. 'They're going to feel the pressure when Americans start losing their jobs because we're going to start on-shoring everything, and once that happens, I told Lutnick, it's hard to turn that tap off.' And, Ford continues, Canada can leverage its supplies of critical resources. American governors, both Republicans and Democrats, tell Ford the same thing: 'There are two things they're interested in: our nuclear energy and our critical minerals.' Repeating his well-worn adage — 'Canada is not the threat; China is the real threat' — Ford explains how China's lock on 90 per cent of the world's critical minerals makes Ontario's resources in the Ring of Fire all the more essential to Americans. 'And we don't believe in rip and ship,' Ford assures me, 'we're going to make sure that we mine it with Ontario workers, we're going to refine it here in Ontario with Ontario workers, and then we'll have the option of shipping it around the world.' Ford's also pitching a deep sea port to facilitate exports, in a couple of locations — one in Ontario, in Hudson's Bay, and one in Manitoba. 'It will wake up President Trump real quick,' Ford quips, 'if we start shipping it to our other allies around the world and not to him.' Ford is the premier of Ontario — it's his job to look out for that province's interests — but there's no question he's fully steeped in Team Canada spirits. 'We all have something that we're bringing to the table,' he assures me, repeatedly. 'The U.S. needs our high-grade nickel,' Ford asserts, 'to be used in the military, in aerospace, in manufacturing. It's no different from the aluminum, from Quebec, being shipped down there, or the potash or uranium from Saskatchewan, and obviously, the 4.3 million barrels of oil we ship down to the U.S. But we're going to diversify that and not rely on the U.S. Yes, we have one pipeline going west, but we need another one going west, east, north and south.' Ford is also effusive about the need to get rid of the tanker ban on the West Coast and revamp the impact assessment act. 'Those days are done. They're gone,' he says. 'We have to start moving forward and create the conditions for the rest of the world to look at investing in not just Ontario but other jurisdictions across Canada, from coast to coast to coast.' I moved from Ontario to Alberta in the early 1980s — a time when Alberta premier Peter Lougheed was struggling with prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau's National Energy Program — and can still recall the bitter disappointment of Ontario premier Bill Davis's unwillingness to support Alberta's interests. I admit to being impressed by Ford's visit to the recently concluded Calgary Stampede, and not just by his commitment to flip pancakes alongside Smith, whose griddle experience is legendary. Ontario's premier also inked two MOUs with Alberta, to advance freer trade between the provinces and publicly endorse mutually beneficial national-interest projects, including an oil pipeline from Alberta to Ontario (fabricated with Ontario steel). Although Ford's not sure if Carney will be specific about the nation-building projects selected to move forward, in the upcoming discussions around the table in Muskoka, he's optimistic provincial leaders — and their constituents — recognize this unique opportunity to move forward on national infrastructure projects. 'We're moving forward and we're going to see another $200 billion going into our economy, increase our GDP anywhere upwards to six per cent,' Ford says. He expects his fellow premiers will have to hop on this train. 'The residents of each province are going to demand that they get on that train as we're moving forward,' he says, 'because they want to prosper as well.' National Post 'It feels like there's no hope': Many homeless don't want a home. What now? The life of a conservative male on a Canadian campus: 'We are not the demons that you see us as' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. 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National Post
20-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
The Doug Ford Doctrine: 'We really have to flex our muscles'
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is hosting Canada's premiers in Muskoka starting Monday at a Council of the Federation summer gathering. Premiers of the 13 provinces and territories can look forward to enjoying Alberta-bred and Ontario-fed beef on the grill at the Ford family cottage. They will have a special guest: Prime Minister Mark Carney. Article content 'For the first time ever that I can remember,' Ford says, 'the prime minister is invited. That would have never happened with Trudeau, but it's happening under Mark Carney. And he's going to be welcomed with open arms.' Article content Article content Rather than the premiers getting together 'to bitch and complain about the federal government,' Ford chuckles, 'we get to present it right to him (Carney) as he's sitting around the dinner table and we're talking to him.' Article content 'And, he's a very, very great business person,' Ontario's premier enthuses, listing off Carney's credentials (without a mention of potential conflicts of interest). Article content Article content Figuring out how Team Canada will respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's declaration of a blanket 35 per cent tariff on goods imported from Canada as of Aug. 1 — on top of previously implemented tariffs on auto parts, steel, aluminum and copper — will no doubt be the premiers' top priority in cottage country next week. Article content Article content 'Elbows up or elbows down? What's the strategy, now?' I ask Ford in a recent call. Article content Article content 'We have to negotiate through strength,' Ford responds, 'and we really have to flex our muscles and make sure President Trump hears us.' Article content 'Because in closed-door meetings and in our phone calls with governors — and they pull a lot of weight, I heard that from (U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard) Lutnick — Republicans don't want this,' Ford reports Article content 'Democrats obviously don't want this, and Republicans don't want it. But they're terrified to say anything publicly,' he says. Only a few U.S. senators have spoken up, Ford adds, 'and God bless them.' Article content Carney is advancing several strategies — promoting free trade within Canada; negotiating a security and trade pact with America, in good faith; and at the same time, forging strategic partnerships with the EU to beef up security and defence alliances and boost trade and economic security. This week, Carney announced measures to protect the nation's steel industry, including guarding against foreign steel entering Canada to bypass Trump's tariffs.
