Following a day of talks focused on domestic issues, such as bail reform and health transfers, Canada’s premiers are wrapping up their three-day gathering in Muskoka presenting a united front in the ever-looming threat of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war.
“We can walk and chew gum at the same time,” New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said during a post-meeting press conference. “What’s happened is that the pressing threats that Donald Trump has made to our economy have meant that instead of occupying all of our meetings and squeezing out conversations about bail reform and immigration, we’ve been meeting a lot more.”
“We’ve spent a lot more time together in my entire tenure as premier in just eight months than I think my predecessor would have spent in six years,” Holt also said.
The premiers are wrapping up three days of meetings in Huntsville, Ont., hosted by Ontario Premier and Council of the Federation Chair Doug Ford.
While the provincial and territorial leaders have covered topics ranging from internal trade barriers to health transfers and immigration, the threat of Trump and his trade war loomed large.
Prime Minister Mark Carney also joined the premiers in Muskoka for a meeting on Tuesday, aimed mostly at giving an update on the state of negotiations with the United States.
While Carney has given an Aug. 1 deadline to hash out a new economic and security deal with the U.S. — pushing it back from an earlier mid-July date — the prime minister signalled Tuesday he’s prioritizing getting “the best deal” over the timeline.
Many premiers said Tuesday they have faith in the federal government as a negotiating team, while Trump’s pledge to raise tariffs on Canadian goods to 35 per cent on Aug. 1 fast approaches. During the post-meeting press conference on Wednesday, Quebec Premier François Legault said the Muskoka gathering gave the premiers an opportunity for “two-for-one” talks, both on domestic issues amongst themselves and on trade negotiations with Carney.
Legault said considering the impending Aug. 1 deadline for higher tariffs, the chance to meet with the prime minister was “necessary.” Earlier Wednesday, Ford said: “Trump himself is acting like the enemy.”
“I have no problem, but I don’t trust President Trump as far as I can throw him,” Ford said, when asked whether he’d be satisfied waiting until 2026 to renegotiate the Canada-U.S. Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), the date by which the free trade deal is already set for review.
“He constantly changes his mind, you just don’t know who you’re dealing with,” the Ontario premier added.
Source: ctvnews.ca/canada
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
