QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Internal Trade
Canada-U.S. Trade
February 24, 2026
Welcome, minister. I’m glad you have one minute and 30 seconds to answer. The answer to my first question is a number, so you should still have one minute and 30 seconds to give me an answer about the illegal tariffs.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a large proportion of the tariffs Donald Trump had imposed on many companies around the world. Several experts estimate that these unjustified and illegal tariffs brought in between $173 billion and $227 billion.
Of that amount, how many billions of dollars do you estimate Canadian companies have been cheated out of by these illegal tariffs?
Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d like to take a moment to thank the honourable senators for the invitation. It’s always a privilege to be here.
Senator Carignan, thank you for your question. As you rightly said, we maintained that the reciprocal tariffs announced by President Trump were unjustified. We were obviously pleased with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, which has resulted in a reduction in the tariffs applied to Canadian companies. However, a number of challenges remain in certain sectors. If I understand your question correctly, Senator Carignan, you want to know the exact amount of money that Canadian companies have paid and how much they might get back.
I saw a preliminary analysis of these numbers following Friday’s decision, but I’d be happy to share the exact figures with you, which are quite high. I think I know what your second question is going to be, so I look forward to hearing it.
I anxiously await these figures. The Government of Canada has been rather cautious in its response and fairly silent in the wake of the decision. You gave a few interviews where you said that you were satisfied. Can you explain to us how the Government of Canada intends to recoup these amounts for the companies? What measures will you take to do that?
Senator Carignan, I fail to see how you could consider our government’s reaction to be cautious. Personally, I had agreed to speak on Gérald Fillion’s show and I was on my way to the Radio-Canada building in Montreal when the Supreme Court decision was announced. While I was walking around the Radio-Canada building, I gave about six or seven interviews to journalists who were following me. I certainly wasn’t being cautious. However, you’re right about one thing, Senator Carignan. The Supreme Court didn’t say anything about refunds. The amounts were indeed paid by private sector companies. U.S. law does provide recourse to recover these amounts. The government will support companies that wish to go that route, but it would be a private course of action.
Thank you, minister.
It sounds like you’re not going to take any legal action on their behalf.
I didn’t say we wouldn’t help them. I said the decision —
I have to interrupt. I’ll go back to Senator Carignan for your next question.
