Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has briefed Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney about President Donald Trump’s tariffs ahead of the upcoming leadership vote. Carney is favored to win and could rapidly become prime minister, which would put the trade dispute with the U.S. on his agenda. Joly reportedly has not briefed other candidates like Chrystia Freeland and Karina Gould, though she has offered to do so. Carney and candidate Frank Baylis, not being elected MPs, do not participate in caucus meetings. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to resign following the vote.
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The office of Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has confirmed that she briefed Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney on President Donald Trump’s tariffs in the days leading up to Sunday’s leadership vote this week.
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Carney is widely regarded as the leading candidate for the party’s leadership and may soon assume the role of prime minister, which would mean managing Trump’s escalating trade conflict with Canada.
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During a national caucus meeting on Wednesday, Joly informed Liberal MPs that she has been keeping Carney updated in advance of the vote on Sunday.
Multiple Liberal sources familiar with the discussion from the Wednesday virtual caucus meeting — including an MP present — reported that Joly indicated she has not yet provided briefings to the other candidates for Liberal leadership.
These sources cannot be named as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting.
The sources also mentioned that when a caucus member pointed out the presence of three additional candidates, Joly stated she would brief them if possible.
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During the meeting, the minister provided MPs with an update on Ottawa’s strategy regarding Trump’s tariffs. Notably, Chrystia Freeland and Karina Gould, both caucus members and leadership candidates, were absent.
Joly’s communications director, James Fitz-Morris, stated he would not discuss the details of the caucus meeting since it is deemed private.
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Fitz-Morris mentioned that Joly has “been in contact and has extended offers for briefings to all of the leadership candidates” and emphasized that she has been engaged in “ongoing discussions” with various individuals regarding Canada-U.S. relations in recent weeks.
He did not specify when the other candidates were offered briefings, but noted that Joly has not refused any requests for updates.
Unlike Freeland and Gould, Carney and fellow candidate Frank Baylis are not elected officials and do not participate in national caucus meetings.
“Chrystia Freeland has not received any briefings from government officials or ministers since the launch of her leadership campaign,” stated Freeland campaign spokesperson Katherine Cuplinskas in a late Wednesday night announcement.
Other leadership campaigns did not respond to inquiries for comments on Wednesday.
Freeland has positioned her campaign around her experience in addressing Trump’s tariff policies.
Meanwhile, Gould has expressed that Canada can no longer take its relationship with the U.S. for granted.
Baylis has argued that Canada’s response to Trump has been misguided by seemingly capitulating too swiftly to his demands.
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A significant number of cabinet ministers and Liberal MPs have endorsed Carney, including Joly, who will join him at an event in Montreal on Thursday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is anticipated to resign following the leadership vote event scheduled for Sunday in Ottawa.
This week, Trump imposed extensive 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods, although his administration granted a one-month reprieve on auto tariffs on Wednesday.
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