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Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government “will do whatever it takes” to defend Canada’s interests as the clock ticks down to stave off U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat.
Carney made the comments before entering closed-door meetings with the country’s 13 premiers, many of whom say they want to hear what retaliatory measures the government is considering after the U.S. administration announced that it will impose 50 per cent tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of Canadian imports come Aug. 19.
“Let me be clear: Canada will do whatever it takes to defend and support Canadian workers, farmers, businesses and families,” Carney said in his opening public remarks to the table before the doors were closed.
The provincial and territorial leaders are in Prince Edward Island for their annual summer meetings, but the agenda was uprooted when the White House announced its new tariffs, a response to what it calls Canadian discrimination against American motor vehicles, dairy and alcohol.
WATCH | Carney responds to U.S. tariffs:
‘Whatever it takes’: Carney on Canada’s response to U.S. tariffs
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada isn’t leaving anything off the table when it comes to dealing with the U.S.’s incoming 50 per cent tariffs on goods covered by a North American trade deal. Carney made the remarks at the First Minister’s Meeting in Charlottetown, where Canada’s premiers are gathering to discuss how to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats.
Premiers are itching for more details about Canada’s strategy for the coming weeks. Both Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Janice Charette, the chief trade negotiator to the U.S., have prime spots at the table.
“I hope we go aggressive and try to make real progress,” said P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz heading into the meeting.
Ontario’s Doug Ford has been publicly advocating for a hardline approach, even leveraging Canada’s energy supply, in the face of new tariffs.
“It’s very hard to deal with President Trump when he changes his mind every single day,” said Ford on the last day of the meeting.
“One day, the prime minister is with him side by side, and the next thing you know, President Trump turns on him like a rabid dog.”
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he’s looking for more details during the face-to-face meeting with Carney about what measures the federal government is looking at if talks sour before that deadline.
“Trump’s tariffs are dumb and they make life more difficult for Americans,” he said.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith crosses her fingers while speaking with Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, centre, and New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt prior to meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Charlottetown on Thursday July 23, 2026. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)
British Columbia Premier David Eby said his province is ready to act if called upon, suggesting U.S. access to Canada’s minerals and metals could be dangled.
“If the prime minister calls British Columbia and says he needs support with some big sticks to have conversations at the table, then we will be there,” he said during a news conference on Wednesday with his counterparts.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she doesn’t believe in retaliatory tariffs, especially when it comes to oil.
She struck a positive tone ahead of Thursday’s first ministers’ meeting, saying she hopes the outstanding tariffs — including those on the auto, steel, aluminum and softwood industries — can also be dealt with in the coming weeks.
“I think this is a window — this month that we have, or 28 days — to sharpen the pencils and sharpen the focus,” she said.
Premiers insist on unity
Despite some of the disagreements emerging about how to respond, the premiers have been emphatic that they are united in a “Team Canada” approach to the trade war.
Carney didn’t pass up an opportunity to use Charlottetown’s history as the gathering spot for the Fathers of Confederation to make that point, remarking it was a time when “trade barriers were holding back economic growth, major infrastructure projects increasingly required co-operation across jurisdictions, and the threat of American invasion loomed large.
“Plus ça change,” he said to the premiers. “What the Fathers of our Confederation suspected then, we know acutely today: that our unity is our greatest strength, and that our destiny is in our hands.”
A joint communiqué from the premiers coming out of their meeting Wednesday urged the Carney government “to maintain a clear, timely consultation process with provinces and territories during negotiations.”