Vance says Carney tried to 'out-tough' Trump as trade deadline looms

Vance says Carney tried to ‘out-tough’ Trump as Canada-U.S. race to finalize trade deal before midnight deadline

WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice-President JD Vance has waded into the final hours of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations, saying Prime Minister Mark Carney tried to “out-tough” President Donald Trump while crediting a backbench Conservative MP as a quietly effective advocate for Canada.

Vance’s remarks, made at a private fundraising event for young Republican donors in Southampton, N.Y., on Wednesday, come as Canadian and American officials race to finalize a tentative trade agreement before a Saturday 12:01 a.m. deadline. The White House and the vice-president’s office have not yet responded to requests for comment.

Audio from the fundraiser, provided to The Canadian Press by a source who attended the private function, captures Vance describing Carney as a “very sweet guy” who nonetheless “comes in and puffs his chest out and says, ‘I’m going to, like, out-tough Donald Trump.’”

“It’s hilarious because Carney presents this as some victory for Canada when fundamentally, like, they climb down on a lot of issues,” Vance told the room.

Vance credits Jivani as effective advocate

Vance’s most pointed comments were reserved for the behind-the-scenes dynamics of the negotiations. He told donors that Conservative MP Jamil Jivani — a longtime friend from their shared time at Yale — has been “a pretty effective advocate” for Canada in talks with the Trump administration.

“The quiet sort of behind-the-scenes story is that this, like, random MP who has a good relationship with us has been a pretty effective advocate,” Vance said.

Vance also dismissed Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, referring to him as “this guy Pierre Poilievre or something” and calling him a “non-entity” in the negotiations. Poilievre has repeatedly called for any deal with Trump to be tariff-free and publicly rebuked Jivani following the MP’s first diplomatic visit to Washington in February.

Jivani, the MP for Durham, has travelled to Washington on numerous occasions, including an April meeting with Canadian business interests and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. During a February solo diplomatic mission, Jivani met with both Vance and Greer, and said he spoke briefly with Trump at the White House. At the time, Jivani said he wanted to contribute to Carney’s efforts to negotiate a new trade deal.

Vance said he asked Jivani why he was helping the Liberal government, and the MP responded that he cares about whether Canada wins. Vance said Jivani effectively advocated on areas where there was a “win-win,” such as energy and automobile tariffs.

Jivani’s office did not immediately respond Thursday to a request for comment.

Deal details emerging as deadline looms

The vice-president’s remarks come as Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is scheduled to meet with Greer on Friday morning, his office said. LeBlanc returned to Washington on Thursday for talks ahead of the Saturday deadline to get the agreement across the finish line.

Trump announced late Tuesday a last-minute deal to delay new tariffs from slamming an array of Canadian products for three days. The temporary reprieve followed a phone call with Carney earlier in the day and weeks of intensified bilateral negotiations.

After a meeting with Greer that lasted around three hours on Thursday afternoon, LeBlanc told reporters the two sides were “very close” to a deal.

“We’re very close, we continue to make progress,” LeBlanc said.

A source with direct knowledge of the talks said the U.S. could cut steel and aluminum tariffs from 50 per cent to 25 per cent and auto tariffs from 25 per cent to 15 per cent. Two sources also told Global News that tariff relief for Canada’s softwood lumber industry is also being discussed.

Trump on Wednesday said it was a “good deal for everybody” and said his administration has a “very nice relationship with leadership right now.” Multiple news reports have said the deal will see the United States lower sectoral tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and automobiles. In return, Carney told premiers to return American booze to liquor store shelves. Trump claimed the agreement would drop tariffs on American farmers to zero. It remains unclear what else Canada agreed to.

Premiers split on alcohol boycott reversal

During a virtual meeting with Canada’s premiers on Wednesday, Carney asked them to put U.S. alcohol back on their shelves to help the deal progress, several premiers said. Provincial boycotts of American alcohol have been a major trade irritant for Trump, who pointed to what he called “discriminatory” measures when he announced fresh tariffs on Canada last month.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he was “skeptical” of a good faith trade deal with Trump, telling Winnipeg radio station 680 CJOB that the American president is “very erratic” and may go back on his word “as he’s done countless times.”

“(We could have) the best deal in the world today. (If) things go off the rail in Iran for him next month, who is to say he’s not going to try and whack us on the head again?” Kinew said.

Kinew said he was not announcing a return of U.S. alcohol to Manitoba’s shelves on Thursday, noting the prime minister “very clearly asked us to put the booze back” and told premiers to “just blame me, put this on me.”

“We reserve the right to take it back off again, because we know that this guy is very erratic, the American president,” he added.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston told reporters after the meeting that Carney’s request “came directly out of the negotiating table” and said he would be willing to comply “pending a final deal.” British Columbia Premier David Eby called for a “Team Canada” approach on Wednesday but did not address the alcohol issue. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he looks forward to the deal being finalized.

“Any deal that eliminates and reduces tariffs is a good deal for Canada and Saskatchewan,” Moe said.

Vance says goal is to change Canada’s behaviour

Vance told the fundraiser that Trump is not going to “bend over to make Canada happy” but “saw that there was an opportunity here to get some wins for the country.”

“And the whole point of this is to change Canada’s behaviour,” Vance said. “Which they, you know, not entirely, but they’ve certainly shifted in a Trumpian direction.”

The vice-president said Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are leading negotiations with Canada, but he has been very involved — more so than normal — because of his relationship with Jivani.

Axios reported that Donald Trump Jr. and the sons of Lutnick and senior Trump adviser Steve Witkoff were in attendance at the event.

The Canada-U.S. relationship was upended by Trump’s return to the White House in 2025 with the president’s tariffs and threats of annexation. Trump’s relationship with former prime minister Justin Trudeau was famously tumultuous and ultimately helped lead to the latter’s resignation.

Vance noted his close relationship with Jivani on Wednesday, calling the Durham MP a “very good dude.” Jivani has previously written about their friendship and that he spoke at Vance’s wedding.

The MP’s outreach to the Trump administration has caused turbulence in the Canadian Conservative Party. Poilievre — who did not make a stop in the U.S. capital when he took a trip south of the border in March — publicly rebuked Jivani following his first visit to D.C. after the backbench MP told a right-wing news outlet he felt Canadians’ reaction to the trade war amounted to an “anti-American hissy fit.”

“He speaks for himself and I speak for the party,” Poilievre said on Feb. 17.

Canadian officials, led by LeBlanc and chief negotiator Janice Charette, have been in Washington, D.C., trying to finalize the finer points of the deal with Greer. The American tariffs were expected to take effect on Wednesday, but Trump delayed the levies for three days citing a “deal” that was in the works between both sides.

Should the deadline pass without a finalized agreement, Canada could face sweeping 50 per cent tariffs imposed on goods worth billions of dollars.

Tags: Canada-U.S. trade, JD Vance, Mark Carney, Jamil Jivani, Pierre Poilievre, Dominic LeBlanc, tariffs, Donald Trump, trade negotiations, Jamieson Greer, provincial alcohol boycott, softwood lumber, steel tariffs, auto tariffs

By Alex Thompson, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Reporting is based on sources cited in the article.