Jivani calls Carney's dollar-for-dollar tariff response an 'overreaction' that will 'accelerate conflict'

OTTAWA — Outspoken Ontario Conservative MP Jamil Jivani says that Prime Minister Mark Carney is erring in trying to “accelerate conflict” with the U.S., after cross-border trade talks broke down late Friday night.

Jivani told National Post that Carney struck the wrong tone in a fiery missive , sent just before the midnight deadline, vowing to match imminent 50 per cent tariffs on some Canadian goods “dollar for dollar.”

“It’s one thing for (Carney) to come to Canadians and say, ‘look, we’re not able to sign a trade deal today.’ It’s another thing for him to go back to this, you know, anti-American sentiment where, essentially, he’s arguing that this relationship is not as consequential as many people believe it is,” said Jivani.

Jivani said that Carney’s announcement of matching dollar-for-dollar tariffs was an “overreaction” that reflected his broader lack of a long-term, strategic focus on Canada’s relationship with its southern neighbour and biggest customer.

“We can’t lose sight of the fact that it didn’t have to play out this way,” said Jivani. “And maybe this is why trying to figure out these complicated, nuanced things in a matter of hours instead of weeks is a bad idea.”

Jivani said that Carney and his negotiating team made the critical mistake of not getting serious about making a new trade deal with the U.S. until U.S. President Donald Trump raised the threat of 50 per cent Section 338 tariffs last month.

“This has been months and months, in my view, of setting the stage for this to fail … At the end of the day, I think we have to hold the prime minister accountable for not putting his best foot forward,” said Jivani.

Jivani, a close friend and former classmate of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, added that the Carney government “actively tried to discourage” he and other stakeholders with high-level U.S. contacts from trying to assist trade negotiations.

The MP, who represents the Ontario riding of Bowmanville—Oshawa North, said in a social media post shortly after midnight that it was a “solemn moment for hundreds of thousands families across Canada” that Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford deserved much of the blame for.

“Make no mistake. Since the beginning, in their public communications, Liberal politicians like Mark Carney and Doug Ford have put their political self-interests ahead of Canadian workers,” wrote Jivani in the lengthy post.

Jivani admitted that the post came at an emotional moment for him but said he stood behind his criticisms of the two leaders.

“It is fair to say that Mark Carney and Doug Ford are very similar, especially insofar as their political brands seem to really be built as a reaction to the United States,” said Jivani.

He said he hadn’t had a chance to read a statement on the trade impasse put out by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Saturday morning and didn’t reply to a follow up message about the statement.

Jivani’s name made the rounds ahead of the Friday night deadline, after comments made by Vance at a Republican fundraiser were reported by The Canadian Press.

Vance told Republican donors that Jivani has been a “pretty effective advocate” for Canada, despite his lowly position as a “random MP.” He added that Poilievre had been a “non-entity” in trade negotiations.

He also revealed that he and Vance will once again be in the same fantasy football league once the NFL’s regular season gets underway in September.

National Postrmohamed@postmedia.com

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.