Canada’s premiers have wrapped up a second day of meetings, including one with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Ontario’s cottage country, offering a broadly united front on the issue of U.S. trade but few concrete decisions.
The events, which are being hosted by Ontario Premier Doug Ford at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ont., kicked off just before 10 a.m.
Carney chaired the meeting, updating the premiers on the status of talks with the United States and the plan if 35 per cent tariffs are levied by Aug. 1.
“We will have a discussion on the current state of negotiations with the United States,” Carney said at the opening of the meeting.
“We are looking for the best deal for Canada, we are only going to accept the best deal for Canada, that is very much informed by our discussions. We understand, as well, we all understand that the global trade environment is changing.”
The prime minister said the premiers should unite to build a stronger domestic economy.
Last night, Ontario announced its latest interprovincial trade agreements. The province has now signed deals with 10 other provinces and territories, including Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
The latest deals follow work by Ford and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston to attempt to reduce internal trade barriers. Moves to reduce interprovincial trade frictions include harmonizing standards and regulations, as well as recognizing qualifications across provincial borders.
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“I would also like to commend the series of free trade agreements that have been signed between the provinces,” Carney said. “And Premier Ford, I know there’s been a flurry of additional activity.”
Quebec, the country’s second most populous province, remains notably absent from the list of agreements Ontario has struck to reduce trade barriers with other jurisdictions.
“I think we’ll get there,” Ford told reporters on Tuesday. “Premier Legault is a very bright business-minded person, and we’ll get there. They’re unique, but we’ll get around to getting it done.”
After the meeting, Carney reiterated his push for a good deal but offered few details of what would happen if an agreement can’t be reached.
The prime minister arrived in Muskoka on Monday evening and headed to Ontario Premier Ford’s Muskoka cottage, where the premier hosted the country’s most senior leaders for an intimate dinner.
Ford later disclosed Carney had stayed overnight at his property.
The meeting, which was supposed to run for roughly two hours on Tuesday, wrapped almost an hour late, with Carney taking a small number of questions at the end.
“It’s about building this country,” Carney said. “We’re getting more and more concrete about how we want to do that and it’s about building other relationships.
“At the same time, if at all possible, we’d be coming to a good accord with the United States.”
For the afternoon, the country’s premiers convened without the prime minister. The country’s first ministers took part in a working lunch where they heard from former ambassadors and then launched into a full meeting of the Council of the Federation.
That meeting involved discussion of U.S. trade, interprovincial relations and an update on the country’s wildfires. It ended well ahead of schedule.
Ford said the group was united in its message, but stressed U.S. President Donald Trump’s unpredictability.
“We’ve seen it over and over again,” he said. “You talk to him one day and all of a sudden he’s on some news outlet saying there’s 35 per cent tariffs.”
A news release handed out after the meeting ended said the premiers supported a “Team Canada approach” to the tariff question, which was the case going into the Muskoka summit.
It also referenced internal trade and the need to diversify trading partners; however, it did not appear to announce any new, concrete actions.
In the evening, Ford will host a gala for the visiting premiers at the Deerhurst Resort, which is the backdrop to the three days of talks.
An invite to the evening reception has been extended to Canada’s premiers, the entire Ontario Progressive Conservative caucus, business and health care stakeholders and Indigenous leaders.
The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, who is the King’s representative for the province and has ceremonial hosting duties, will also deliver remarks at the event.
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