MP Jamil Jivani headed home to his riding of Bowmanville—Oshawa North on Friday after several meetings in Washington, D.C.
His itinerary included meetings with his university friend U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and automotive manufacturer General Motors. Some 1,200 workers were laid off last week when the automaker cut one of three shifts at its Oshawa plant.
Jivani, who is Conservative, said he went on the trip to help Prime Minister Mark Carney negotiate a trade deal with the U.S.
“This can be the beginning of a truly, non-partisan approach to working with the United States,” he said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Jivani was briefed by Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, but said the government has “extensive” and “constant” contacts with the U.S. administration.
Jivani has been optimistic about meetings he’s had, in posts on X. Among them, on Friday he said he had “positive conversations” about the Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement with GM, though it’s unclear what impact he will have on negotiations. While he has a relationship with the vice-president, he is an opposition MP and is not part of the Conservative shadow cabinet.
CBC News reached out to Jivani’s office for details about whom he has met with. In response, the MP’s chief of staff Joseph Gainey provided links to two of Jivani’s posts on X, as well as an interview published on Semafor, an American news site, on Wednesday. That interview says Jivani had “unofficial talks” with Vance, his wife Usha Vance and Rubio.
In Jivani’s riding of Bowmanville—Oshawa North, constituents were split on the trip. While some said it was a positive move that capitalizes on Jivani’s connections across the border, others called the trip a political stunt that will have little impact on trade negotiations.
Residents split on Jivani’s motivations
Emerson Riedler says if more politicians are working to secure a deal with the U.S., that can only be positive. He said Jivani’s friendship with the vice-president could provide a solid foundation for discussions aimed at improving Canada-U.S. relations.
“I don’t see why leveraging that relationship to potentially build a better trade deal is a bad thing,” he said.
Matthew Scatterty has called Bowmanville—Oshawa North home for over thirty years, but now lives in Port Hope. He called Jivani’s trip a ‘political stunt.’ (Zoom)
Dean Link, who also lives in the riding, said it makes sense for Jivani to be involved in discussions across the border, since U.S. tariffs are hurting autoworkers he represents.
“If you are an MP in an area that’s being affected by [tariffs], you should have some sort of involvement and be there to represent your constituents,” he said.
But resident Rob Halpin called the trip “political theatre.” He said he thinks Jivani is attempting to boost his profile, rather than helping his constituents.
Jivani should be in Oshawa, pushing for policies that protect Canadian jobs and strengthen domestic manufacturing, he said.
“Oshawa needs an advocate, not a tourist,” he said.
Halpin said Jivani isn’t experienced enough to participate in trade negotiations.
“There’s no real clear mandate explaining why he’s there representing Canadians in Washington, and at a time when trade relations are especially fragile,” he said.
Matthew Scatterty has called Bowmanville—Oshawa North home for more than 30 years, but now lives in Port Hope.
He said he’s skeptical anything meaningful will come from Jivani’s talks, calling the trip a “political stunt.”
U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, left, has been friends with Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, right, since they were both students at Yale Law School. Former U.S. president Donald Trump picked Vance to be running mate Monday. (Jamil Jivani/Instagram)
The prime minister suggested media attention may have play a role in the trip, speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
When one reporter asked him why Jivani is going on the trip, Carney gestured to the media present and said: “I think it might have something to do with all of you.”
But Riedler says even if Jivani’s trip is a media stunt, he can’t see a negative outcome.
“Ultimately, every politician is doing what they can in order to further their own career,” he said.
“Even if we want to be really cynical with it and that’s truly Jamil’s motivation, we as a country are still better off for having these talks.”
WATCH | PM reacts to MP Jamil Jivani’s trip to Washington, D.C.:
LeBlanc briefed Conservative MP Jamil Jivani on Washington visit, Carney says
Dominic LeBlanc, the minister in charge of Canada-U.S. trade, briefed Conservative MP Jamil Jivani who is heading to Washington this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday. Jivani, a longtime friend of U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, had previously said he didn’t hear back from Liberals after emailing key players ahead of his U.S. trip.For some, Jivani’s politics at issue
Both Halpin and Scatterty said they had broader concerns about Jivani’s politics and drew comparisons to MAGA.
Halpin pointed to Jivani’s opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, as well as his ‘Restore the North’ campus tours, aimed at addressing what Jivani called policy gaps to help young men. The tours were a tribute to American conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s campus events, recognized for promoting the MAGA message at universities.
“[Jivani is] looking at what was successful in the United States and trying to import that playbook here in Canada,” Halpin said. “It’s dangerous for Canadians.”
WATCH | Jivani announced the trip in a video on X on Tuesday:
For his part, Jivani has framed his trip as an effort to reduce tensions between Canada and the U.S. On Wednesday, he posted a message on X he said was from President Donald Trump: “Tell the Canadians I love them.”
Link said anti-Americanism has become a problem in Canada.
“As much as we should be diversifying and finding other partners to sell more stuff to, there is nothing more straightforward and obvious than having as good a relationship as we can with our neighbour,” Link said.
Productive meetings today with the White House and State Department. The President asked me to pass along a message: “Tell the Canadians I love them.” I’ll have much more to say later. More meetings with Senators, GM, and others this week.
Link also questioned whether the federal government has been involving Conservatives and taking a “Team Canada” approach to trade negotiations. Jivani said he had offered to work with the Liberals before heading on the trip, but that he was snubbed.
But Scatterty said Jivani’s trip fell out of the bounds of his political role.
“We have people to do those jobs, and he’s not those people,” he said.