Why Liberals shouldn’t count on Poilievre as they navigate Trump

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OTTAWA — If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is counting on his Conservative opponent to offer support as the Liberals navigate a second Donald Trump presidency, he shouldn’t.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has spent the days since the president-elect’s win taking aim at how Trudeau handled his last administration.

He lambasted policies like the carbon tax as making Canada less competitive, and said Trudeau was too weak to stop the U.S. from reimposing tariffs on softwood lumber, amid anxieties about Trump’s threat to slap a 10 per cent one on global imports.

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At one point, Poilievre stood in the House of Commons and charged: “Is the prime minister auditioning to be the secretary of job creation in the United States?”

Alberta Conservative MP Blaine Calkins was also heard heckling those on the government benches by asking where was their “MAGA hat” — an unexpected chirp from a party Liberals often criticize for trying to emulate Trump’s political style.

Now as Trudeau tries to revive his government’s “Team Canada” approach to a second Trump presidency, Poilievre is trying to turn the tables on the Liberals by criticizing his ability to handle it.

It comes after more than a year of the Liberal party releasing digital videos attacking Poilievre by comparing him to Trump, particularly when it comes to the Conservative leader’s hostile relationship to the media.

Many Liberal MPs and ministers have followed suit, accusing Poilievre of wanting to import divisive “American-style politics” and of pandering to far-right supporters.

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Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has been no exception. Just over two weeks ago, Freeland dissed the Conservatives during question period as “the maple syrup MAGA,” referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Emerging from her first meeting of a special cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations this week, reassembled in the wake of Trump’s win, Freeland had a different tone.

“I really believe that Canada, at our best, we have a capacity to recognize when there is an issue that touches the national interest. And at our best, as a country, we have a capacity, when we recognize such an issue, to work together.”

While she said she cannot speak for Poilievre, she says she has been in touch with those of different political stripes, including Conservatives.

That was what happened during the first Trump administration, when the Liberals tapped former Conservative interim leader Rona Ambrose to become a member of an advisory council on the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“That really was a Team Canada effort,” Freeland said on Friday. She added that Ambrose played a “really important role” on the council and has since become a “friend.”

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In February 2017, Ambrose sent Trudeau a letter ahead of a meeting with Trump where she offered her support.

Garry Keller, who served as Ambrose’s chief of staff at that time, says it was Ambrose’s “natural inclination” to take the approach she did. She was later succeeded by Andrew Scheer as Conservative leader; he now serves as Opposition House leader under Poilievre.

In 2019, Ambrose would go on to disagree with Scheer, who blamed Trudeau for buckling to Trump’s demands when renegotiating the free trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico.

Keller says the political climate has changed considerably since Trump’s 2016 inauguration, and everyone realizes that a Canadian federal election will happen within the next year.

“The challenge is we’re living in a far more polarized time,” he said on Friday. Ambrose also joined Team Canada when Trudeau was just over a year into his first and only majority mandate, Keller added, compared to now, when he has been in power for more than nine.

Another major change is the fact the Conservatives are soaring in the polls and gearing up for an election, with cost-of-living top of mind.

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Keller believes the Liberals have been unwise in mounting a campaign against Poilievre by using Trump. He pointed out that former Canadian ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton spoke out against doing so.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said on Friday her government would not be “partisan” on the issue of approaching a new Trump administration, but cast some doubt on the Tories’ intention.

“The question is whether Pierre Poilievre will want to be partisan and defend Canada’s interests. Our goal is to make sure that we work all together.”

Poilievre made it clear how he feels about Trudeau’s efforts, posting on X that the special cabinet committee was “nothing more than a weak PR stunt to save his own job.”

“It’s not about standing up for Canada, it’s about stroking his own ego.”

In a statement to the National Post, he added that “Conservatives will work with everyone” in standing up for Canada with the goal to “bring home” investments, which he says both Trudeau and Freeland have “pushed to the U.S.”

When it comes to immigration, Alberta MP Tom Kmiec, who serves as the Conservative immigration critic, said in a separate statement that ministers “should be transparent” about what their plans are to deal with any potential surge in asylum seekers trying to enter Canada illegally before Trump takes office, instead of telling Canadians not to worry.

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While Poilievre tries to keep the focus on Trudeau, he also has his own issues to consider when it comes to U.S. relations.

Besides ensuring he does nothing to provoke Trump, who has a reputation for volatility, Poilievre must consider laying the groundwork in the event his party forms the next government and has to deal with the Trump administration.

Conservatives also see a big advantage in their own caucus: vice-president elect J.D. Vance’s best friend from law school is Ontario MP Jamil Jivani.

The Liberals could even take the chance of seeking his support, Keller added. He says Conservatives can also count on others in their caucus, such as Saskatchewan MP Randy Hoback, who has relationships with different American lawmakers and has the role of advising Poilievre on U.S. relations.

Former Alberta premier and federal Conservative cabinet minister Jason Kenney suggests Poilievre could take steps now.

The year before Brian Mulroney won his 1984 election, he met with former Republican president Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office while still Opposition leader, Kenney said.

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While that was “highly unusual,” Kenney says, it sent a signal that Washington was willing to work with the likely next Canadian government.

“I don’t know if that’s viable, but my point is that … we only have one prime minister at a time, obviously, but I think there are ways that Mr. Poilievre and his team can be helpful in advancing Canadian trade interests on both side of the aisle in Washington and with the new administration.”

One thing Kenney says they will be watching is how seriously Canada is moving to try to meet its NATO spending target of two per cent of its GDP.

“If the Conservative defence platform gives a credible pathway to significant increases in (the) defence budget, that will be very helpful.”

Prior to Trump’s win, Poilievre had so far not committed to reaching that target, saying he believes a future Conservative would be inheriting a financial mess.

“There’s going to have to be tough decisions that have to be made,” Keller says. “That’s just the reality.’

— With additional reporting from Rahim Mohamed

National Post
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