Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has briefed Mark Carney, a leading candidate in the Liberal leadership race, on President Donald Trump’s tariffs, her office confirmed, as the party nears its Sunday vote to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. With Carney favored to succeed Trudeau—potentially as early as next week—he would inherit the challenge of navigating Canada’s intensifying trade conflict with the U.S., triggered by Trump’s recent 25% tariffs on Canadian exports.
Joly revealed her discussions with Carney during Wednesday’s virtual Liberal caucus meeting, according to several party insiders who requested anonymity due to restrictions on public disclosure. These sources noted that Joly has not yet briefed fellow candidates Chrystia Freeland, Karina Gould, and Frank Baylis, prompting a caucus member to raise the issue. Joly responded that she would provide briefings to the others if possible, the sources said. Her update to MPs also covered Canada’s response to the tariffs, though Freeland and Gould were not present.
James Fitz-Morris, Joly’s communications director, refrained from commenting on caucus details, calling them private. He clarified that Joly has offered briefings to all candidates as part of broader, continuous conversations on Canada-U.S. relations, without detailing the timing of these offers, and affirmed no requests have been denied. Carney and Baylis, unlike MPs Freeland and Gould, do not participate in caucus. Freeland’s team stated late Wednesday that she has had no government briefings since launching her bid; other campaigns offered no comment.
Backed by Joly and a significant cohort of Liberal MPs and ministers, Carney is slated to appear with her in Montreal on Thursday. Trudeau’s exit follows Sunday’s vote, as Canada grapples with Trump’s tariffs—eased slightly by a one-month auto sector delay announced Wednesday.