Ford says premiers united ahead of meeting with Carney amid new U.S. tariffs

CHARLOTTETOWN — Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he and his counterparts are united ahead of a face-to-face meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and the premiers Thursday amid fresh tariff threats from the U.S.

“We have different areas that we want to focus on but our No. 1 focus is Team Canada led by the prime minister,” Ford told reporters in Charlottetown, P.E.I.

P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz, who also spoke to media headed into a breakfast with the other premiers, called for an “aggressive” approach to trade negotiations with the U.S.

“Put everything on the table, let’s get this done,” Lantz said.

Carney is set to give public opening ahead of a private roundtable discussion with all 13 provincial and territorial leaders scheduled to run into the afternoon.

The First Ministers Meeting comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump signed orders to impose 50 per cent tariffs on a variety of Canadian goods, ranging from hockey sticks to honey to cement.

Trump administration officials say the tariffs, to be applied Aug. 19, are in response to provincial bans on U.S. liquor, Canada’s supply-managed dairy system and quotas on certain U.S. vehicles.

The premiers have called for Carney and his negotiators to intensify efforts to de-escalate trade tensions and work on renewing the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement.

But the country’s 13 provincial and territorial leaders will also come to the table with their own requests for Ottawa to increase federal health care funding and accelerate approval for major projects.

The premiers’ face time with Carney comes at the end of a three-day conference in Charlottetown hosted by Lantz.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2026.

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press