Carney says he’s more focused on Canada’s economy than former PM Trudeau

MONTREAL — Liberal Leader Mark Carney says he is more focused on building up the country’s economy than his predecessor, former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

In an interview with the popular Sunday night Radio-Canada show “Tout le monde en parle,” Carney said he shares Liberal party values — including solidarity, equality and reconciliation — with Trudeau.

But he said he is putting a greater focus on the economy to address the impact of U.S. tariffs on Canada, while Trudeau is “less interested” in that.

A key line of attack from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is that Carney is tightly aligned with Trudeau’s economic policies.

Poilievre has repeatedly linked Carney and Trudeau during the campaign, arguing that Canadians “can’t afford” a fourth Liberal term.

Poilievre also appeared on the popular weekly Radio-Canada show, that draws nearly a million viewers and is considered crucial for federal party leaders hoping to sway Quebec voters.

Both leaders spoke about U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariffs during the interview, arguing that Canada needs to reinforce its own economy.

Poilievre said during the interview that no one can control Trump but that Canada needs to become less dependent on the U.S.

Asked about comments from his adversaries of him being a “mini Trump,” Poilievre said the two come from completely different backgrounds. He said the president comes from a wealthy family and that he has more empathy than Trump.

Navigating U.S. tariffs has been a central theme in the election campaign, with recent polls suggesting that most Canadians think Carney would do a better job at negotiating with Trump than Poilievre.

Carney has suspended his election campaign several times to deal with the fallout of Trump’s tariffs. Most recently, the Liberal leader took a day off the campaign trail last Friday to convene the cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations.

Carney acknowledged Sunday that he had moved away from the campaign during the tariff war, noting that he has lots of experience dealing with crises. If elected, he said he’d help limit the impact of a U.S. recession by supporting the creation of one Canadian economy and protecting affected workers and companies.

Markets have been in turmoil since Trump brought his trade war to the world, only to drastically change course. He paused his so-called “reciprocal” tariffs Wednesday shortly after putting the duties in place.

Trump kept in place a universal 10 per cent tariff, as well as 25 per cent duties on steel, aluminum and automobile imports to the United States. The president also pushed tariffs on Chinese imports to 145 per cent.

American tariffs on Canada did not change.

The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade was negotiated during the first Trump administration to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. At the time, Trump hailed the agreement. Experts say his tariffs are undermining the continental trade pact.

Carney, who spoke with Trump by phone late last month, said the president agreed to begin negotiations on a new economic and security agreement after Canada’s election. Carney said he left instructions with officials to prepare the next government for negotiations with the Trump administration following the April 28 vote.

— With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2025.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press