Conservatives urge feds to release details of U.S. deal Canada walked away from

Canada's Conservative Party is pressing the federal government to disclose the full details of a proposed U.S. trade deal that led to Canada's withdrawal from negotiations. Shuvaloy Majumdar, the party's critic for Canada-U.S. relations, wrote to Prime Minister Dominic LeBlanc on Sunday, requesting full disclosure of the deal from which Canada decided to walk away.

He emphasized the party's commitment to fighting for tariff-free trade and demanded transparency regarding the terms of the agreement. The U.S. administration was aware of the draft text, as was Canada's government. However, the specific details of what was offered in the talks remain limited. During a news conference on Saturday, LeBlanc outlined several outstanding issues that stalled the negotiations, including concerns over auto tariffs, restrictions on Canada's ability to form free trade agreements, and issues related to French language and Quebec culture.

Sources with knowledge of the talks told Global News that discussions included lowering steel and aluminum duties to 25 percent and auto tariffs to 15 percent. LeBlanc had also instructed premiers to prepare to reopen U.S. alcohol stores to President Donald Trump, a point of contention. Canadians are still in the dark about the circumstances under which tariffs would have been lifted, Majumdar pointed out.

The MP for Calgary Heritage noted that the government had not provided details previously to avoid tipping its hand to U.S. negotiators, but with talks stalled, those concerns no longer apply. Majumdar criticized LeBlanc for making six major concessions before entering the bargaining table. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre expressed disappointment with the U.S.'s decision to impose more tariffs, stating that Canada cannot accept one-sided tariffs that will deindustrialize the country or accept a bad deal. Instead, Poilievre called for continued efforts to achieve tariff-free trade.