Ottawa, ON – Eric Duncan, Conservative Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, issued the following statement on the Conservative plan to fight Trump’s tariffs:
“Like all Canadians, Conservatives are furious that President Trump continues to tariff and insult our country. We must continue to stand united against his unfair attacks on Canadian jobs, business and sovereignty.
“But Canadians also deserve honesty from their own government. Prime Minister Carney says Canada is ‘stronger now than when this trade war began.’ His Finance Minister says the economy is ‘doing just fine.’ But Liberal rhetoric does not match the reality lived by ordinary Canadians.
“Over the past decade, the Liberals have given Canadians some of the worst per-person growth in the G7, the worst housing costs and the worst household debt. Business closures have outpaced openings for three straight quarters while Canadian manufacturers are increasingly moving south. It is no wonder that Canadian entrepreneurs launched 48 per cent more startups in the US than here at home.
“And now with the Liberal government announcing new counter tariffs on $27.6 billion of American goods, the Prime Minister continues to refuse to be transparent on the costs that will be borne by Canadian families. Conservatives are not the only ones who know that ordinary Canadians will end up footing the bill. The Prime Minister himself said that ‘tariffs are taxes’ and that consumers will have to pay them.
“That is why Conservatives are calling on the Prime Minister to reconvene Parliament to discuss a clear path forward. He must release the trade agreement he chose to reject so that Canadians can see what he chose to walk away from.
“We will also propose our Economic Action Plan to save Canadians money and jobs. Our plan will cut government waste, axe capital gains taxes on reinvestment in Canada, unleash our resources by greenlighting the 500 projects currently awaiting federal approvals, repeal anti-development policies like C-48 and C-69, build a strategic energy oil and mineral reserves to sell to countries with tariff-free trade with Canada, and use our leverage to get the best deal with the US.
“Canada cannot control the decisions made in Washington, but we can control whether we build a stronger, more self-reliant economy that creates jobs.”
“Conservatives will always put Canada first. We will fight to save you money and protect Canadian jobs.”