Poilievre tells Carney in letter to not concede to U.S. demands in tariff talks

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is asking the prime minister to not concede to U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands during trade negotiations.

Poilievre says in a letter to Mark Carney that Ottawa has given in to several of Trump’s demands in the last year, including getting rid of the digital service tax and removing counter-tariffs on the United States.

The Opposition leader says Canadians deserve a government with a backbone, and that the Conservative party supports Carney’s attempts at building domestic strength and leverage to secure a tariff-free deal.

A new round of 50 per cent U.S. tariffs on a range of Canadian goods is set to take effect in about 10 days.

The U.S. has cited the supply management system that protects Canadian dairy as a key trade irritant, and Trump has repeatedly complained about the level of U.S. dairy farmers’ access to Canada’s market.

Carney said Thursday his government is loyal to the supply management system as the group Dairy Farmers of Canada urged the government not to offer concessions regarding its industry in trade talks.

The dairy group has also said Canada has already made several concessions, only to be met each time with fresh demands.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2026.