Premiers show support for Carney after meeting, PM says Canada will ‘only accept best deal’ in trade war with U.S.

HUNTSVILLE, ONT. — Canada’s premiers say they’re confident in the federal government as a negotiating team, following a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney Tuesday morning, during which he updated them on the state of ongoing talks with the United States, as the protracted trade war between the two countries continues.

“I will say that, as you are aware, our senior ministers, my chief of staff, myself, we’re engaged in continuous discussions,” Carney told reporters ahead of the meeting, adding Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be travelling to Washington in the coming days.

“We are looking for the best deal for Canada” Carney also said. “We are only going to accept the best deal for Canada.”

On day two of the Council of the Federation’s meetings in Huntsville, Ont. on Tuesday, Carney joined the premiers for a two-hour meeting focused largely on updating them on the most recent developments in talks with the United States.

The prime minister’s stated goal date to reach a new economic and security deal with the U.S. is just over a week away and fast approaching, with U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to raise tariffs on Canadian goods to 35 per cent on Aug. 1.

Carney, meanwhile, conceded last week a fully tariff-free deal with the U.S. may not be possible.

After the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., last month, Carney said he and Trump were working toward a deal by mid-July. That was pushed to Aug. 1 following Trump’s latest tariff threats, with Carney now downplaying the importance of the deadline altogether.

“That depends. There’s two sides to a deal,” Carney told reporters following the meeting, when asked whether an agreement by Aug. 1 is achievable. “We’re working on behalf of Canadians, and we will agree a deal if there’s one on the table that is in the best interest of Canadians, just as the United States will do in the look for the best interests of the U.S.”

“They’re complex negotiations, and we’ll use all the time that’s necessary, and agree something that’s in the interests of Canadians, if that’s available,” he also said.

Carney on Tuesday emphasized what Canada can be doing to bolster its own economy and insulate it from the U.S., telling reporters he and the premiers discussed Bill C-5, dubbed the One Canadian Economy and the Building Canada Act by the Liberals.

“We did have a good discussion around these ongoing negotiations with the United States, but really large part of our exchanges concentrated on what we can do, what we can control, and how we can move forward,” Carney said.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meanwhile, told CNBC the Trump administration is more concerned with the quality of its trade deals than their timelines, saying: “We’re not going to rush for the sake of doing deals.”

Premiers show support for feds at negotiating table

Ontario Premier Doug Ford — who’s hosting the three-day meeting with the Council of the Federation of Canada’s premiers — said the talks with Carney were “really, really good” and “very, very positive.”

“I think we’re all engaged, we’re all united, and we’re standing behind the prime minister to make sure that he has a fair and free trade deal for Canada,” Ford said.

According to a source in the Ontario premier’s office, Ford’s focus in the meeting was largely geared at presenting a united front, and on attracting more business to Canada from outside the U.S., if a deal with Canada’s largest trading partner isn’t possible.

“Once we communicate with each other and everyone knows which way we’re going, we look and act as a united team moving forward, and that’s exactly what we are right now,” Ford told CTV News in Muskoka. “No one can predict what President Trump is going to throw at us, and I emphasize about being united and making sure that we all sing from the same song sheet.”

There are also ongoing conversations with certain industry leaders about a possible minimum level of tariff they’ll be able to survive, the source said.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, for his part, said he’s confident in the federal government and less concerned about the date by which the two countries reach a deal.

“I would be worried that if we constrain ourselves, that we have to get a deal by a certain date, that we maybe have to do some things or give up some things or give up some leverage that we might not otherwise have to if we just focus on getting the best deal,” Houston told reporters after the meeting.

Houston also said Canadians are “galvanized” by the threat from the U.S., and that he has “tremendous confidence” in the prime minister to negotiate strategically.

While a tariff-free deal with the U.S. is the best-case scenario, he concedes “we’re not in that world right now.”

“It sounds like we’re making some progress, although honestly our trading partner is unpredictable and inconsistent,” New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt also told CTV News following the meeting.

“I think the premiers have full confidence in the team that we have negotiating on our behalf,” Holt also said.

Holt, in a press conference later on Tuesday, also said Canada is focused on a “good deal, not a fast deal,” pointing to agreements the Trump administration has struck with other countries and the terms they include as ones Canada may not want to replicate.

“I trust that we have the team in place to get the best deal possible for the Canadian economy, but we also have to look at, is it better than what we have right now and is the timing right? There’s a lot of complex factors here,” Holt said. “Regardless of level of tariff or how it’s exposed, it’s the question of whether its sticky, and whether we’ve reached a point where things will stop changing.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Ford signed a memorandum of understanding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to build new pipelines, rail lines and other energy and trade infrastructure.

Several provinces have also signed trade, energy and infrastructure deals in recent weeks aimed at eliminating interprovincial trade barriers and supporting Canadian industry.

The premiers are set to gather again Wednesday for the final day of the first ministers’ meetings.

With files from CTV News’ Rachel Aiello, Samantha Pope and Colton Praill