Being a loyal opposition when Trump’s tariffs are hitting Canada is no easy task, admits Shuv Majumdar.
Some believe that criticizing the prime minister in a crisis is close to treason. The Calgary Conservative MP, appointed shadow minister for Canada-U.S. relations on June 30 — days before the July 1 CUSMA review deadline — rejects this.
“Our country is not too fragile to have a debate in which a loyal opposition – loyal to the Crown, loyal to debating for the country – wants the best outcome for our government and the Prime Minister in tough and unpredictable negotiations,” he says.
Prime Minister Mark Carney left the table. He framed his choice as a defense of sovereignty and showed little public desire to change course. This may be a good short-term policy. This forces Canada to wait for Washington to blink, or to live in a protracted tariff war – while Parliament has never been recalled. The House of Representatives is not in session again until September 21st.
I want to know how conservatives would deal with a similarly untenable situation. The messages from the various conservative camps have not always been consistent. Majumdar, who has been leading the case for eight or nine weeks, is more straightforward.
“My efforts were to be thoughtful, serious, level-headed and not short-tempered,” he says. “Stay focused on the national interest and hold government to account.”
He does not call for silence. “Why don’t you celebrate that we have a democracy in which we can criticize thoughtfully? When people say debate is a betrayal, they undermine what opposition parties exist for.” Civil society, journalists, think tanks and trade experts all have a role to play, he adds. “Preserving freedom is very fragile. It’s so easy to give up freedom during a crisis. The harder job is maintaining that freedom during a crisis.” Canadians would do well to learn this during a pandemic.
Meanwhile, the government is preparing support for businesses hit by tariffs and an investment summit. Majumdar says Conservatives have supported Canada and the prime minister since the new tariffs were introduced in July; he is “not sure the government reciprocated the same statesmanship.”
He recalls how during the Harper years the government briefed the opposition. Critics such as the late NDP MP Paul Dewar gave credence to Ukraine, ISIS, the TPP and CETA. Confident Majumdar Harper did the same to Tom Mulcair. Justin Trudeau sent MPs from border cities to Congress; Chrystia Freeland used a non-disclosure procedure when communicating with journalists and experts. “We haven’t seen anything like this for a year and a half,” says Majumdar. Pierre Poilieves’ move to New York this week – apparently with the PMO’s blessing – looks like a shift towards a common front. Great; but this still leaves the opposition uninformed about the negotiations, the text of the deal unpublished and parliament unrevoked.
Majumdar’s main demand is simple: make the text public. “Uncover the deal, share it, get to know the opposition or other parties to the deal so people actually have a better understanding of what was on the table overall, what the decision point was to leave, and let people judge for themselves.”
Carney said Canada would not sacrifice economic or cultural sovereignty. Majumdar’s response: Show Canadians what they were really asking for. “Quebec’s cultural sovereignty is a core part of our Conservative identity. But what exactly was on the table that would cost us our cultural sovereignty?”
He acknowledges that counter tariffs are a tool. Conservatives “will pay any price to ensure our sovereignty, our economic security and the livelihood of our people.” The question is, “if you are going to impose reciprocal tariffs, explain how it will lead to the desired outcome”: a resolution, a prolonged standoff, or a pivot to other markets—and who will bear the costs. He wants clarity on the aerospace, defense, F-35 and Arctic or Golden Dome arrangements that may have been in play.
What would conservatives do differently? They would move faster on the “catalytic” solutions that Carney elected: defense production, critical minerals, competitiveness, and getting government out of the way of resource development.
Parliament, he notes, has already given the prime minister broad powers to act quickly. Conservatives suggested he introduce legislation to repeal “anti-development” regulations that discourage investment. “We are accused of lack of patriotism just because we don’t believe in any anti-tariff hammer. We are creating a whole range of tools.”
Canada’s strengths had to be delivered to Washington in a clear order that served the national interest: first, the security of Canadians and the borders; second, the prosperity of the middle class and the social safety net that holds the country together; thirdly, coordination with countries that share our values.
He is not convinced that turning off the oil and gas taps is a serious strategy. This will fuel separatist sentiment in Alberta and damage Canada’s reputation as a reliable supplier. The best idea, he said, is a strategic reserve of oil, gas and critical minerals used as a positive incentive for tariff-free trade with allies – “a carrot, not a stick.”
When it comes to China, Majumdar is merciless. Carney went to Beijing, then spoke at Davos about partnering with Beijing’s New World Order, while viewing America as a global disruptor, “which is not entirely unfair,” he says, “but I think (the disruption) is largely driven by Beijing.” The result, he said, was concessions without a comprehensive trade agreement, “and then July comes and (Carney) is hit with unjustified tariffs because he is in a position of weakness.”
Geography still links Canada to Washington. “Our competition with the United States is very multi-layered,” he notes, “this is one of the most complex relations between two countries in the world. We cannot avoid the direction in which Washington will go. Our country must have self-respect to fight for its existence.”
He doesn’t expect November’s U.S. midterm elections to save Canada. He has seen no signs from congressional Democrats, Senate candidates or governors seeking the presidency that they will abandon these tariffs. “Waiting to see what the election might reveal is not as important as sharpening the pencil and crafting legislation that will make Canada the economic powerhouse it should be for the next half century.”
Asking to inspect the transaction is not treason. This is the minimum that a self-respecting country should demand before it is ordered to bear the costs. If a proposal truly threatens sovereignty, publish it; if not, say so. Canadians can handle this controversy. What they won’t have to deal with is a nation-defining trade war based on trust alone.
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