BURST
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to reconvene Parliament, so that MPs can scrutinize the failed U.S. trade deal and the government’s response to the fallout.
In a letter to Carney dated Sunday and shared on social media Monday morning, Poilievre wrote: “Canadians elect Parliament to defend their interest and decide the hard questions. Those questions can no longer wait.”
He added that the official opposition has a duty to hold the government to account and asked the PM to “reconvene Parliament without delay” so that his party can fulfill this duty.
Poilievre also called for the government to release the details of trade negotiations, to allow Canadians to “judge what options are on the table”. He added that the public deserves to know how Carney’s trade and economic policies could affect the cost of groceries, gas and other items.
“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,” the letter concluded.
As Canadians are vulnerable to an escalating trade war with the United States, Parliament must be reconvened.
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) August 24, 2026
Canadians deserve answers on how trade talks collapsed, what tariffs will cost their families, and how their jobs will be protected.
Prime Minister, reconvene… pic.twitter.com/56WDAxG2rj
Carney suspended trade talks with the U.S. late on Friday, citing unfair last-minute demands and accusing the U.S. administration of introducing measures that would restrict Canada’s ability to do deals with other countries.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday morning, the PM said he had walked away from a “bad deal” and that Canada is now “at war” after being “attacked” by the steep tariffs.
As a result of the collapsed negotiations, 50 per cent tariffs came into effect at midnight on Saturday, impacting $28 billion worth of Canadian goods. In response, Carney has pledged dollar-for-dollar counter tariffs that will hit the U.S. starting Sept. 8.
On Monday, Trump threatened to impose a 50 per-cent tariff on Canadian autos , trucks and auto parts from Jan 1., in the latest escalation in the trade war.
Poilievre asked how the PM plans to protect the auto, steel, aluminum and lumber industries that are threatened by tariffs, noting that Canada has the lowest growth and second-highest employment in the G7. “Parliament must enact real tax and regulatory reform and reduction to jolt our economy back to life,” he added.
The government announced in a statement on Friday that it would introduce “additional measures to support Canadian workers and businesses” affected by the U.S. tariffs.
My statement on Canada-U.S. trade negotiations: pic.twitter.com/65OuQH40ra
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) August 22, 2026
The Conservative leader also pointed to the Gordie Howe Bridge deal in his call for more transparency around trade negotiations with the U.S. He said Canadians were initially told debts incurred to build the bridge would be fully repaid before negotiations with Washington began, writing: “That was false, but the truth only became public when we saw the deal.”
Poilievre added: “Parliament’s duty is to hold government accountable. That job has never been more pressing.”
And the Conservative leader is not the only opposition member who is asking questions about what was on the table during Canada’s trade negotiations with the U.S.
On Sunday, MP Shuvaloy Majumdar shared a letter sent to Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc reiterating that the official opposition supports the decision not to sign an unacceptable agreement, but that Canadians shouldn’t be kept in the dark about the negotiations.
“If there was a draft text of any agreement that both governments have seen, please release it,” the Conservative shadow minister for Canada-U.S. relations wrote. “The U.S. administration has seen it. Your government has seen it. Canadians deserve to see it.”
Elsewhere, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani previously told National Post that he feels Carney’s dollar-for-dollar tariff response is an “overreaction” that will “accelerate conflict.”
What’s the Deal? pic.twitter.com/8fepAELhW2
— Shuv Majumdar (@shuvmajumdar) August 23, 2026
South of the border, U.S. politicians have expressed concerns about the impact of Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on American families.
Abdul El-Sayed, currently running for Senate in Michigan, accused Trump of “escalating a trade war with Canada for his own vanity. “Even before this new round, Canadian tariffs were costing Michigan families an additional $3,200 a year,” he said on X . “It’s going to get much worse.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul offered a more concise assessment, writing on X : “Needlessly picking fights with our allies and raising prices here at home. That’s Trump’s economic policy in a nutshell.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has blamed Canada for the breakdown in negotiations.
“Despite the U.S. offer to Canada to receive the best treatment of any major exporter to our market, new demands and walk backs of other commitments by Canada have upended the careful balance reached in the past days,” he said in a statement posted on social media on Friday night.
On Saturday morning, Greer said no new talks were scheduled and that the U.S. was moving ahead with plans to “respond to Canadian retaliation.”
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