Ottawa, ON – Today, the Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada, sent the following letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, calling on him to reconvene Parliament without delay:
Dear Prime Minister,
We must put the national interest first. 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.
Canadians elect Parliament to defend their interests and decide the hard questions. Those questions can no longer wait. The Official Opposition has a duty to ask questions and hold the government to account. That is why I write to ask you to reconvene Parliament without delay.
Parliament must confront three urgent matters:
- Transparency on the abandoned deal. What precisely was in the proposed deal that you appeared willing to accept until late last week when you suddenly decided to end talks? 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.
- The true cost to Canadian families. How much will your trade and economic policies cost Canadians in higher groceries, gas and other prices? You stated that you would impose dollar-for-dollar tariff retaliation and that these “tariffs are taxes.” Canadians are already paying the worst food inflation and carrying the worst household debt in the G7. Insolvencies are at their worst since the Great Global Recession. How will you avoid worsening this inflation? Where will the revenues be directed?
- The defence of Canadian jobs and industry. How will you protect the steel, aluminum, lumber and auto jobs threatened by tariffs? Canada was the only G7 economy to enter recession in the last year, with the lowest growth in the group and the second-highest unemployment. Parliament must enact real tax and regulatory reform and reduction to jolt our economy back to life. Will you commit to eliminating the industrial carbon tax, repealing anti-development bills C-69 and C-48, and approving the 500 economic projects your government has stalled?
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. That was false, but the truth only became public when we saw the deal.
Parliament’s duty is to hold government accountable. That job has never been more pressing.
Our mission is an economy that is affordable and sovereign: stronger take-home pay, safer streets and secure borders within a self-reliant Canada.
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.