QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Internal Trade
Canada-United States Relations
February 24, 2026
Minister LeBlanc, I think you would agree that your government’s approach to Canada-U.S. relations and the upcoming CUSMA review have significant implications for Canadians. Transparency on these issues should, therefore, be a priority. Yet, according to media reports, you are giving an off‑the-record speech at Canadian Club Toronto that’s closed to all media. Minister, what are you sharing with that audience that you believe Canadians shouldn’t hear?
Senator, thanks for the question. I regularly accept to meet with business organizations, representatives of workers or others to talk about our conversations with the Americans. Many of these conversations are private. However, I have been around long enough to believe that a private conversation isn’t private.
I found out that for the group organizing this lunch, tickets sold out very quickly. I’m excited that it’s happening on Thursday. The good news is I asked that, of course, we open it. If you’re going to have 200 or 300 people who bought tickets for your lunch, I’m not naive enough to think that somebody is not going to report on what was said. The good news is we opened it to the media. People can livestream it. I’ll make sure, senator, it’s available on Facebook, if you would like to watch it. I think it will be a fantastic experience on Thursday. I’m sure the people who bought tickets will be very enthusiastic about their investment.
I do have a Facebook account, so I look forward to that.
Minister, from the outset, your government’s message on Canada’s trade relationship with the United States has created unmet expectations. Unrealistic timelines and unfocused efforts confuse Canadians and leave businesses hesitant to make critical investment decisions. Why isn’t your government prioritizing clear, transparent communication with Canadians, especially given the unpredictability of our key trading partner to the south?
It may not surprise you that I don’t quite agree with the premise of that question. I think we have been very transparent and open with Canadians about the challenges that the world as well as Canada’s economy and workers face with the Trump administration.
We ran an election campaign where we were very transparent with Canadians about the importance of diversifying our trade relationships with reliable partners, building major projects here at home and ensuring that we support workers and sectors of the economy who are unfairly targeted by tariffs that we think are unjustified.
We continue to pursue, if you will, a three-track approach, controlling what we can control here at home and working with our American and Mexican partners —
Thank you, minister.
