A 'delicious conversation': Why American strawberries took the stage at French debate

OTTAWA — Strawberries became an unexpected topic at Wednesday night’s French debate in Montreal, with three of the four party leaders saying they’ve stopped buying American berries amidst trade tensions. “I buy Quebec strawberries, and I do my own shopping by the way,” Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet told debate moderator Patrice Roy, when asked to name one U.S.-made product he no longer buys. Blanchet’s aside was a cheeky shot at Liberal Leader Mark Carney, who acknowledged to Radio-Canada earlier this month that he doesn’t buy his own strawberries anymore, now that he has a staff to do his daily chores as Canada’s prime minister.

Radio-Canada journalist: Are you still gonna buy American strawberries?Mark Carney: Whoah lady, I don’t buy my own groceries, that’s nuts pic.twitter.com/mHtomUkcyw— Elias Makos (@eliasmakos) April 4, 2025

Not to be left out, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told the moderator that he now goes out of his way to buy a range of Canadian-grown produce, including both strawberries and apples — a fruit Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre famously chomped on in a viral 2023 video . “I do my own shopping, and I cook at home,” Singh said, one-upping Blanchet. “Everybody is eating a lot of strawberries today,” quipped Roy following Singh’s response. Poilievre called the lighthearted exchange a “delicious conversation” and added that Canadian sourced beef is the top sirloin in his household. “I buy Canadian beef, it’s the best beef in the world,” said Poilievre, who grew up in Alberta’s cattle country . “But I never buy American strawberries either,” he added. For his part, Carney said that he’s stopped buying U.S. beer and wine — though the LCBO’s ban on American booze prevents residents from purchasing those products. The English debate is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. National Post rmohamed@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.

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