Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he disagrees with how one of his MPs recently characterized Canada’s reaction to U.S President Donald Trump’s tariffs and taunts.
Following a recent trip to the U.S. capital, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani told the right-wing U.S. media outlet Breitbart News that “we are shooting ourselves in the foot if we continue this anti-America hissy fit.”
Poilievre said Tuesday that he didn’t agree with Jivani’s assessment.
“Canadians are legitimately upset by the unjustifiable tariffs and comments that the president has made,” Poilievre told reporters on Parliament Hill.
When asked if Jivani’s comments might muddle the Conservative message on U.S. tariffs, Poilievre said the MP “speaks for himself, I speak for the party.”
Political tensions between Canada and the U.S. have been heightened since Trump’s re-election. The U.S. president consistently mocked Canada as the 51st state last winter while slapping tariffs on a number of Canadian goods.
Jivani represents a riding that includes part of Oshawa, Ont., where General Motors recently announced 1,200 layoffs at its local plant.
Poilievre invoked comments recently made by former prime minister Stephen Harper in his response to questions from reporters.
“We have to focus not on how the president’s words and deeds make us feel, but on what we can do to adapt,” the Conservative leader said.
Jivani, a university friend of U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, travelled to Washington earlier this month, touting his efforts as a way “to help build bridges of communication between our two countries.”
A mandatory review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) is set to take place this year and Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Monday that former Privy Council clerk Janice Charette will head up Canada’s side of the negotiations.
In an op-ed published in the National Post last week, Jivani wrote that he planned to debrief Carney and U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. But the MP suggested that Mexico is “further ahead” in talks with the U.S.
Asked if he thought Jivani’s trip may have helped Canada’s cause, Poilievre said all MPs need to “fight the tariffs.”
“It’s necessary for all MPs to use all the connections and work that they can to overturn the tariffs and protect Canadian jobs,” he said.
Trade negotiations were a stress test for Ottawa during the first Trump administration. The talks were tense at times, but ultimately CUSMA was hailed a success in all three countries.
Since Trump’s return as president, however, confidence in CUSMA’s future has waned.
Last month, Trump called the deal “irrelevant” and said it offered “no real advantage” to the United States.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said late last year that the Trump administration is considering breaking up the three-way agreement and opting for separate deals with Canada and Mexico.
Before a congressional committee in December, Greer also rattled off a list of trade irritants with Canada. The Online Streaming Act, dairy access and the provincial boycott of U.S. alcohol were all issues he mentioned.

