Tuesday July 15, 2025 | NATIONAL NEWS reporting from VICTORIA, BC [Posted 8:50 am | Updated 3:20 & 7:30 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Today Prime Minister Mark Carney is holding a cabinet meeting to discuss the continuing scenario of US-imposed tariffs. The Prime Minister is in Ottawa; the meeting will be held virtually.
The NDP says the Canada is “facing serious threats” from a US administration that is “intent on damaging the Canadian economy”.
NDP Leader Don Davies today said that the NDP supports a “strong, united Canadian response that protects our sovereignty, interests and values”.
“We offer our full cooperation to deliver this,” said Davies in a news release today.
The House of Commons is off for the summer, but this presents the potential of assured NDP support for the Liberal government when the House sits again starting September 15.
Don’t concede to a bully:
Repeating a theme that many observers in politics and economics are now making, Davies said: “It is now clear that appeasement has not and will not work with Mr Trump. Conceding to a bully never ends.”
The NDP urges the Carney Liberal government to “cease offering unilateral concessions without securing reciprocal benefits from the US”.
Carney shifting the message:
It’s unknown what is being bargained behind closed doors. Though today in Ottawa Carney told national TV reporters that “we will focus on most what we can control, which is developing a strong Canadian economy”. He indicated that there isn’t much chance of a deal with the US that doesn’t include US-imposed tariffs.
That’s a way of preparing Canadians for what sounds like a final deal with the USA that will include some continued or new tariffs, i.e. not a tariff-free (free trade) deal as would have been the case with some version of a CUSMA (formerly NAFTA) deal.
Last week, in the full public eye the Carney government recently cancelled the application of the Digital Services Tax (DST), which surprised many as to how easily that seemed to happen. The DST would bring in significant revenue (in the billions of dollars) from large tech company transactions that are paid by Canadian consumers. The DST is still on the books (passed as legislation in the House of Commons).
Last week Green Party Leader Elizabeth May called for Carney to not ‘cave’ to US demands.
Constructive proposal:
The NDP has put forward what it considers to be a “constructive proposal to defend and improve Canada’s economy”, including:
- Investing to build more of what we need in Canada and create good, family-sustaining jobs.
- Making a firm commitment to maximize Canadian content in all public infrastructure and incentivize the private sector to buy Canadian content with a Made-in-Canada tax credit.
- Improving Employment Insurance (currently only 40% of Canadian workers are protected by EI).
- Accelerating trade diversification efforts, especially with Europe and Asia.
Small but mighty:
In this context of this statement today, it appears the NDP is continuing to live by its ‘small but mighty’ approach that was seen when the party had 25 MPs.
The NDP came out of the April 28 federal election with seven MPs.
===== RELATED:
- Elizabeth May on Donald Trump, digital services tax, dairy supply management (July 11, 2025)
- Trump threatens to end trade talks with Canada over digital services tax (June 27, 2025)
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