Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre cautioned the Liberal government against using counter-tariff revenues to increase government spending. The Liberal Party already set a record for the largest non-pandemic deficit at $60 billion for the 2023/24 fiscal year, $20 billion more than projected.

“Counter-tariffs must not be a cash cow for the government. Almost every penny of the tariffs collected should go to tax cuts, with a small sum set aside for targeted relief to workers hardest hit by the trade war,” Poilievre told reporters in Ottawa yesterday.

The Opposition leader claimed the Trump administration “stabbed America’s best friend in the back,” while clarifying he was not a “MAGA guy.”

President Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canada yesterday for failing to curb fentanyl exports across their southern border. Similar tariffs on steel and aluminum imports are slated for March 12. Meanwhile, Canadian crude is subject to a 10% import levy.

"No doubt our economy will suffer but so will yours, President Trump": Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Trump "stabbed America's best friend in the back" by imposing tariffs.

"While Canadians are slow to anger and quick to forgive, once provoked we fight back." pic.twitter.com/5yNCqimfwt

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) March 4, 2025

“While Canadians are slow to anger and quick to forgive, once provoked, we fight back, and we will fight back,” Poilievre said, noting that American consumers will also suffer through higher gas prices, lost jobs, and “trillions of dollars erased in stock market value.”

Poilievre then laid out his vision to counter U.S. tariffs. Yesterday, Cabinet responded with counter-tariffs on $30 billion worth of U.S. imports. An additional $125 billion in goods will be blacklisted in 21 days, should cooler heads not prevail.

Though the Tory MP agreed that American goods should be subject to retaliatory tariffs, he emphasized that this revenue should not go to new government programs, reported the Epoch Times. He refused to support “a debt-fuelled money-printing spending spree that will drive up inflation and further destroy the working class.”

That counters the New Democrat strategy, which involves emergency funding for industries hurt by tariffs, and EI reform to support unemployed workers. Cabinet warned the trade war could double unemployment rates and kill one million Canadian jobs.

While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and premiers have mentioned providing aid to industries and businesses adversely affected by U.S. tariffs, no specific plans have been put forward.

Poilievre cautions the Liberals against using funds collected from retaliatory tariffs for new government spending programs.

He says the Liberals must not use "this crisis to once again launch a debt-fuelled, money printing spending spree" that will drive up inflation. pic.twitter.com/s7iJET1cgq

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) March 4, 2025

During the press conference, Poilievre was questioned whether the federal government's efforts on border security were sufficient to prevent the 25% tariffs imposed by President Trump, who previously said that “vast amounts of fentanyl” were still entering the U.S. from Canada.

Poilievre explained that fentanyl has killed 50,000 Canadians since the Trudeau government first held government, more than all Canadian casualties from WWII. He blamed its “weak borders” and “soft laws” on their radical agenda to liberalize drugs.

“But let’s be clear, that is not a justification for tariffs,” he clarified, noting illicit guns, drugs, and illegal migrants also come to Canada from the United States. “We have never tariffed the Americans for that.”

Ottawa's response to Trump's tariff threats included a $1.3 billion border security package, encompassing a new North American task force to combat organized crime and synthetic drug trafficking, along with 24/7 border surveillance. Additionally, the government has taken recent steps by appointing a "fentanyl czar" and designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations.

“In sum, we stepped up,” Trudeau said at a separate media scrum. “We engaged closely and constructively with the president and his administration. We did everything we promised.” 

Poilievre told reporters yesterday that he would also hire 2,000 additional border agents to curb drug flow, and implement life sentences for fentanyl dealers.

Call the Election!

21,508 signatures

Goal: 25,000 signatures

Justin Trudeau is gone — but Canadians never voted for his replacement. The Liberal Party has installed unelected banker Mark Carney as Prime Minister. Why should Canadians accept another leader without a mandate? It’s time for a federal election now — not when it’s convenient for the Liberals. Sign the petition and demand that Mark Carney call an election immediately!

Sign Now

Optional email code

Will you sign?

First Name

Last Name

Email

Mobile phone

Send me email updates

Send me text message updates

Country AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, the Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorth Macedonia, Republic ofNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands

Street address

Apt, suite, etc.

City

State AlabamaAlaskaAmerican SamoaArizonaArkansasArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces PacificCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFederated States of MicronesiaFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarshall IslandsMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPalauPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirgin IslandVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Zip code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Province

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City/Suburb

State/territory

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Street 2

City

Postcode

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Province

Postal code

Apartment, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

State/region

Postal code

Comments (optional)