Carney says ‘we are in a crisis’ amid U.S. trade war during Sask. sto

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Federal Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney says that he and the party will present “a compelling economic offering for the people of Saskatchewan.”

He made the case Tuesday while speaking from the shop floor of Pro Metal Industries Ltd. in Regina, a business that has pledged to support Canadian products in light of a 25-per-cent tariff U.S. President Donald Trump imposed on such steel and aluminum on Monday.

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“We are being attacked economically by the United States. We have to respond to that, first and foremost, here at home,” said Carney.

“Let’s make no mistake, we are in a crisis not of our own making.”

Carney said trade relations with other countries need to be rapidly developed, while focusing on what can be done domestically, including new pipeline infrastructure.

Carney did not flat out say what his strategy would be in response to tariffs but did say Trump was breaking the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) through steel and aluminum tariffs.

“What do you do when you walk away from a negotiation if the other side is being totally unreasonable?” he asked, as Trump disregards the provisions of the freed trade agreement CUSMA.

“What we must do as Canadians is to be masters in our own home, to invest in Canada, to work as one country, as one team, to have one Canadian economy, not 13.”

Evoking his past time working for Liberal Party MLA Ralph Goodale — who represented the Regina constituency of Wascana in Ottawa from 1997 to 2015 — Carney said drawing from all parts of the country as a leader is important for governance, but the Liberals are approaching a decade since they’ve captured a Conservative constituency in Saskatchewan.

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“You serve all Canadians at all times and in order to do that, it is critical that you are here on the ground, understanding the issues in Saskatchewan, here in Regina, in rural communities,” said Carney.

Carney is one of five people vying for leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada and, by default, prime minister — however that could be short-lived as a federal election is anticipated to take place this spring. He is running alongside Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould, Frank Baylis and Ruby Dhalla.

Polling has placed Freeland and Carney as the front-runners, with turmoil south of the border animating much of Canadian voters’ interest in the potential leaders.

Mark Brown is the president of Pasqua First Nation-owned Pro Metal Industries Ltd. He said his business won’t be directly impacted as the company does not export raw material south of the border.

But tariffs will still affect how Brown does business.

“We want to make sure all of our procurements are with Canadian steel, and we’re supporting the Canadian steel industry,” he said.

On Tuesday, an online Leger and Canadian Press poll showed Carney and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre in a dead heat, with both enjoying 37-per-cent approval ratings “suggesting Carney could attract voters and improve the party’s electoral chances.”

At the same time, the Conservatives are still polling in majority territory with 40 per cent of respondents saying they would cast a ballot for Poilievre’s party.

Data was collected between Feb. 7 to Feb. 10 from 1,590 respondents.

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