Finance Minister Rejects Recall of Parliament to Support Industries Facing Potential Tariffs

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc attends a first ministers meeting in Ottawa on Jan. 15, 2025. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc says there’s no need to recall Parliament because the government has the necessary tools to support Canadian businesses facing potential U.S. tariffs. He made the comments before U.S. President Donald Trump paused the tariffs on Canada after talking with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Feb. 3.

During a Feb. 2 interview with CTV’s Question Period program, LeBlanc was asked about the potential impact of the American tariff on Canada’s auto sector and whether Parliament needs to be in session to support Canadian workers.

“No, we believe that the government has the instruments necessary to support workers and Canadian businesses in the current context,” LeBlanc said, pointing to measures like employment insurance and financial assistance to businesses through Crown corporations such as Export Development Canada.

Parliament has been prorogued since early January following Trudeau’s announcement that he will step down once the Liberal Party chooses a new leader to replace him. The prorogation, granted by Governor General Mary Simon, will last until March 24, temporarily suspending parliamentary activities without limiting the government’s ability to act.

Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has urged the Liberal government to recall Parliament.

“It is insane that in this great crisis, Parliament is shut down to deal with a crisis and a power struggle within the Liberal Party,” Poilievre said during a Feb. 2 press conference in Vancouver. “Let’s put aside partisan political interests and recall Parliament to put in place a common-sense Canada-first plan.”

A day earlier, Trudeau dismissed questions about recalling Parliament, stating that the government had introduced a “strong response package” of retaliatory tariffs against the United States. “We have the tools to be able to support Canadians through this challenging time as it stands,” he said during a Feb. 1 press conference in Ottawa.

Trudeau also called on other political parties to “set aside our differences and focus on delivering for Canadians.” Before Parliament was prorogued, all opposition parties had said they would vote non-confidence in the minority Liberal government, triggering an election when the parliamentary session resumes after the winter break.

Asked during the interview whether not recalling Parliament was an attempt to stave off an election, LeBlanc defended the decision, accusing the the opposition parties of contradictory demands for an election while calling for parliamentarians to discuss a U.S. tariff response.

“The opposition parties have vowed at the first opportunity to cause an election,” LeBlanc said. “That’s a guaranteed way to make sure that Parliament doesn’t meet for two or three more months. So they can’t have it both ways.”

Pausing Tariffs

LeBlanc’s comments came before Trudeau’s phone call with Trump on Monday afternoon. Following their discussion, Trump agreed to pause tariffs on Canada for 30 days. In return, Canada committed to appointing a “fentanyl czar,” designating drug cartels as terrorist organizations, and investing $200 million in intelligence operations to combat fentanyl, Trudeau said in a social media post.

The flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs from Canada, along with illegal immigration into the United States, were key reasons Trump cited for imposing the tariffs. A 25 percent levy on Canadian goods and a 10 percent tariff on its energy were set to take effect on Feb. 4.

Trudeau said that he highlighted the government’s earlier commitment to invest $1.3 billion in border security and said Canada will have 10,000 frontline personnel working to safeguard the border.

A day earlier, Ottawa had announced plans to impose retaliatory tariffs on $155 billion worth of American imports if Trump followed through with his tariff threat.

Earlier on Feb. 3, Trump also reached an agreement with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to halt the tariffs. The two leaders agreed to suspend tariffs for 30 days while Mexico deploys 10,000 troops to the border to combat the flow of fentanyl.

Omid Ghoreishi and Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.