Ottawa, ON – Shuvaloy Majumdar, Conservative Shadow Minister for Canada-United States Relations, released the following statement on trade negotiations with Washington:
“Canadians face the real prospect of yet more unjustified and illegal tariffs from President Donald Trump. Across the country, Canadians are hoping for a deal with the United States that withdraws the latest round of tariffs and restores the free trade that has long underpinned our shared prosperity.
“Everyone – from premiers, business leaders, workers, unions and the Official Opposition – is on Team Canada. And Canadians expect their elected leaders to work together in the fight for our national interests, and for every square centimetre of our sovereignty, whatever the cost.
“We have grown tired of seeing our country used as a punching bag. Yet we share a common hope that Prime Minister Carney will deliver a genuine win at the negotiating table. Canada confronts a tough and often unpredictable administration in Washington. Our negotiators have our full support in securing an agreement that lifts the tariffs and duties now weighing on our steel, aluminum, lumber and automotive industries.
“2.6 million Canadians rely on trade with our southern neighbour. This is not an abstract figure. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are supported by our forestry industry, and towns that rely on lumber mills feel the impact when 15,000 workers are out of work since 2022. Auto workers from Ingersoll and Oshawa to Brampton and Sainte-Thérèse have lost shifts and incomes. Steel and aluminum workers facing layoffs worry about keeping a roof over their heads and food in their refrigerators.
“A durable agreement that finally removes tariffs and restores certainty for our businesses will be more than good news. It would bring a measure of relief to workers and their families who have lived with this anxiety for too long.
“Canada and the United States stand at an inflection point. Trade and security arrangements are being renegotiated not only within North America but around the world. Our national and economic security has, and always will be, defined by our geography. Both nations now face new challenges to our supply chains, across energy, technology and investment.
“These negotiations must be taken with the seriousness they deserve. The exceptional arrangement between Canada and the United States has survived administrations and Congresses, Republican and Democrat alike. This is a chance to strengthen our country and continental resilience in North America, to the benefit of Canadian workers, families and our sovereignty.”