Carney’s CUSMA Receipts Are Due Before the Tariff Clock Runs Out

A new U.S. tariff threat and Senate testimony put Carney’s trade-management pitch to a simple test: publish Canada’s proposals, red lines and retaliation plan.

Prime Minister Mark Carney asked Canadians to trust him as the economic adult in the room. On CUSMA, that trust now needs receipts.

Canadian Press reported Wednesday that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a Senate hearing he hoped to give Canada and Mexico CUSMA “options” by the end of the year, without laying out specifics. The same report said Washington and Mexico are already months into official CUSMA negotiations, while similar Canada-U.S. talks have not started. That is the problem.

Ottawa says it is ready. The Prime Minister’s Office said after Tuesday’s first ministers meeting that Carney told premiers Canada remains ready to engage with the United States, has “detailed proposals” on the table, and would take any measures necessary to support Canadian workers, farmers, businesses and families. Those are strong words. They are not a public plan.

The timing is not academic. Global News and Canadian Press reported that President Trump threatened 50% tariffs on an array of Canadian goods in 30 days. Greer also said he spoke with his Canadian counterpart Tuesday and that Canada did not say it was going to retaliate. If that accurately reflects Ottawa’s position, Canadians deserve to know whether the government is holding retaliation in reserve, ruling it out, or quietly negotiating from a weaker hand.

This is not an argument for reckless escalation. A responsible government should not publish every tactical move in a live negotiation. But secrecy is not strategy either. Workers in auto, steel, aluminum, agriculture, energy, transport and border communities can be told the non-sensitive basics: what Canada asked for, what red lines Ottawa will not cross, what sectors are most exposed, what relief tools are ready, and what timeline applies before the 30-day tariff clock expires.

Carney’s problem is that he has made competence his brand. Competence means matching public claims to public documents. If Canada has detailed proposals, release a summary table. If premiers have been consulted, publish the consultation log. If retaliation is being reserved for leverage, say so plainly. If Ottawa is avoiding retaliation because it believes a deal is close, explain the basis for that confidence without compromising the negotiation.

Canadians have heard enough about steady hands. They need to see the hand Ottawa is actually playing.

The conservative accountability test is straightforward: do not bluff, do not panic, and do not ask workers to absorb uncertainty while Cabinet hides the paperwork. Publish the CUSMA receipts before the tariff clock runs out.