The Liberal leadership race is well underway, and candidate Mark Carney stopped in Saskatchewan Tuesday hoping to steer the party in a new direction out west.
Western provinces like Saskatchewan have been largely Conservative voters over the last few years.
It’s something Carney hopes to change.
“The Liberal Party exists across Canada and it has a long heritage here in Saskatchewan,” Carney said in Regina while touring the Pro Metal Industries in Regina steel plant.
“When you’re prime minister… how do you serve all Canadians at all times? In order to do that, it is critical you are here on the ground understanding the issues in Saskatchewan.”
Carney spoke of wanting a united front in fighting against U.S. tariffs.
“Let’s make no mistake: we are in a crisis not of our own making.” Carney said. “We are being attacked economically by the United States.”
“What we must do as Canadians is to be masters in our own home. To invest in Canada. To work as one country, as one team, and to have one Canadian economy, not 13.”
Carney argues the U.S. is picking a fight that will damage hundreds of thousands of jobs on both sides of the border.
“The first thing is for Americans to recognize that they are doing self-harm,” Carney said.
Conservative MP Andrew Scheer also said the tariffs are unjustified and believe Canada must retaliate and stand up for Canadian steel workers. But he doesn’t believe Carney is the man for the job.
“Don’t believe anybody is going to be fooled by the Carney carbon tax trick,” Scheer said Tuesday. “They know that under Mark Carney, not only would we have to deal with tariffs coming out of the U.S. administration, but Carney’s carbon tax, which will be a double whammy on steel production here in Canada.”
Carney said his involvement in many negotiations over the years puts him in a good position to advocate for Canada.
“One of the most important things in any of those situations is first and foremost to have a plan and, secondly, to have a good outside option,” he said on the tariff negotiations. “What are you going to do when you walk away from a negotiation if the other side is being totally unreasonable?”
Carney is also appearing in Saskatoon Tuesday evening, before making his way to British Columbia on his Liberal leadership campaign tour.