Poilievre wants prime minister to reconvene Parliament to discuss rejected trade deal

Carney suspended trade talks with the United States on Friday after accusing the U.S. administration of introducing measures that included restrictions on Canada’s ability to do deals with other countries, and he promised retaliatory tariffs in response to new U.S. ones that took effect Saturday.

Carney is scheduled to be in Levis, Que., Monday and will hold a news conference around noon E.T. He said on Saturday details on those counter tariffs — which are set to kick in Sept. 8 — will be announced in the coming days.

Poilievre says in his letter that Parliament’s duty is to hold government accountable, and that job has never been more pressing.

“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,” Poilievre said.

“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.”

Many of the points raised in Poilievre’s letter echo those raised Sunday by Canada-U.S. relations critic Shuvaloy Majumdar, who said that while his party supports the government’s decision to reject the deal, Parliament is in the dark about what was on the table.

Majumdar said he’s not asking for “negotiating secrets,” but rather information that both the Canadian and U.S. governments already know.

Poilievre said transparency is especially important, claiming Carney misled Canadians about the deal that was ultimately reached to open the Gordie Howe Bridge. He said the truth only became public when Canadians saw the deal.

“Canadians elect Parliament to defend their interests and decide the hard questions. Those questions can no longer wait,” he said in his letter.

The U.S. introduced new 50 per cent tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of Canadian exports on Saturday. The new U.S. tariffs target $28 billion in Canadian goods ranging from hockey sticks and honey to essential oils and dairy products.

Carney responded that retaliatory tariffs will hit the U.S. starting Sept. 8, after Canada walked away from what he called a “bad deal.”

In a post early Sunday on his Truth Social account, U.S. President Donald Trump returned to mocking Canada as another U.S. state, saying “Canada wants the benefits of being a state, without being one.”

Other opposition parties on Sunday stopped short of calling for details of the rejected deal to be made public, but supported the idea of the government briefing party leaders, or MPs, on what’s been happening with the trade talks.

Carney on Saturday accused the U.S. administration of introducing measures in the final hours of negotiations that restricted Canada’s ability to do deals with other countries.

He told reporters the U.S. also added terms near the end of negotiations that restricted Canada’s protections of language and culture.

He also said the U.S. offered to lower tariffs on autos in exchange for other concessions, but said the offer didn’t include medium and heavy trucks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2026

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Poilievre wants prime minister to reconvene Parliament to discuss rejected trade deal

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