U.S. Vice President JD Vance says Prime Minister Mark Carney attempted to act tougher than the U.S. president during trade negotiations, but has ended up backing down on many issues.
Speaking at a fundraising event in Southampton, N.Y.,on Aug. 19, Vance described Carney as a “very sweet guy,” and said he gets along with the prime minister quite well.
But on the issue of trade talks, Vance said, Carney “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, they climb down on a lot of issues,” Vance said in an audio recording from the fundraiser obtained by The Canadian Press.
While U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to impose 50 percent tariffs on dozens of Canadian goods on Aug. 19, he announced just hours before the midnight deadline that he was delaying the tariffs until Aug. 22. Trump said this was based on his belief that the two countries had reached a deal, “subject to the finalization of documents.”
Few details have been revealed by Ottawa on whether any concessions were made as part of the deal. Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc has said the country’s supply management system for dairy products—which the United States has long cited as a trade irritant—remains “entirely intact,” as part of the trade deal.
However, several of Canada’s premiers have said following an Aug. 19 meeting with Carney that he directed the premiers to return U.S. alcohol to store shelves in their provinces. The United States had criticized the provinces’ actions on the alcohol taken back in March 2025.
Washington has also cited Canada’s reciprocal automotive tariffs as a trade irritant by the United States. While Canada lifted most of its retaliatory tariffs on the United States in September 2025, it retained counter-tariffs on certain U.S. goods—including on automobiles—in response to Washington’s sectoral tariffs on automobiles, steel, and aluminum.
Since Trump became U.S. president in early 2025, Ottawa has made several concessions to Washington, such as rescinding the Digital Services Tax, directing the CRTC to review and eliminate its contribution requirements under the Online Streaming Act, and agreeing to an updated deal on the Gordie Howe International Bridge that gave increased benefits to the United States.
Carney said in an Aug. 19 statement that Canada had entered into negotiations with the “best overall” trade terms with the United States of any country, and that it was now working toward an agreement which would reinforce that “Canadian advantage” and provide greater certainty for future trade.
Vance on Poilievre, Tory MP Jivani
In his comments, Vance also characterized Conservative MP Jamil Jivani as a helpful advocate for Canada.
“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,” he said about Jivani.
The vice-president and Jivani have been friends since they both attended Yale.
Jivani has made several trips to Washington throughout Trump’s second presidency to discuss trade relations between Canada and the United States, including
2026 trip where he met with Vance, Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Vance said he asked Jivani why he was assisting the Liberal government with trade negotiations, and the MP responded that he cares about whether Canada wins. Vance said Jivani had effectively advocated on areas where there was a “win-win,” including on energy security and automobile tariffs.
Vance also said that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre had been a “non-entity” in trade negotiations with the United States. Poilievre told reporters back in February that he had told all MPs, including Jivani, to “fight for jobs in your community.”
During a
with host Joe Rogan back in March, Poilievre also said he had not spoken with Trump about the tariffs, as he believed in “the rule of one prime minister at a time.”
Poilievre was asked by reporters about Vance’s comments on Jivani on Aug. 21, and said he had told all his MPs to use “every single contact they had to fight for Canada and Canadian jobs.” He reiterated that any MPs or “any Canadian” should use their contact in the United States to “fight for tariff-free trade.”
