Canadian premiers tout unity in P.E.I. as new threat of U.S. tariffs looms

CHARLOTTETOWN — Several premiers said they remained united against a common adversary in the U.S. as they kicked off talks Wednesday with the goal of working together on domestic issues like health care and energy security.

An annual summer gathering of the premiers was upended after U.S. President Donald Trump signed orders to increase tariffs by 50 per cent on a variety of goods ranging from hockey sticks to honey to cement.

The U.S. says the tariffs, to be applied within 30 days from Monday and without exemptions, are in response to provincial bans on U.S. liquor, Canada’s supply-managed dairy system and quotas on certain U.S. vehicles.

The new levies continue to loom large in Charlottetown where the premiers are meeting for a second day of their Council of the Federation conference.

“Nothing unites like a common opponent, and there’s no more popular opponent in Canada right now than Donald Trump,” Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew told reporters Wednesday morning.

The threat from Trump serves as a reminder of “the bigger picture,” Kinew said.

“As siblings, we’ll often always have differences of opinion on smaller matters. But if somebody from outside the family tries to interfere, well then they’re dealing with a problem.”

However, provincial and territorial leaders vary in what they believe is the best course of action to renew the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement and de-escalate the trade war.

For example, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe have backed a diplomatic approach to negotiations with Washington.

Others like Ontario’s Doug Ford and Susan Holt of New Brunswick have left open the door to leveraging their exports to force the U.S. to back off more levies.

Meanwhile, Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson said he wasn’t worried by Trump’s threats to place more sanctions on Canada over wildfire smoke crossing the order into the U.S.

“Sanction away,” Simpson said. “I’m not too concerned about being sanctioned by the Americans for wildfire smoke. They’re generating a lot of smoke as well.”

He added there still is a strong relationship between Canada and the U.S. when it comes to provinces, territories and states, as well as between the two militaries.

While Canada-U.S. trade remains a top issue, premiers plan to turn their attention to other major domestic priorities during their roundtable discussions.

“We’ve got other work to do, we intend to get through our full agenda,” said P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz, who is hosting the conference.

“We’ve got a lot of issues that are common across this country … health care, improving access to primary care here, workforce recruitment and retention — very important.”

Holt, of New Brunswick, said the premiers are calling on the federal government to increase its contribution to health care funding back to a 50-50 split.

“We cannot grow our economy and invest in our sector and improve all of our energy offerings without that healthy workforce,” Holt said.

Canada’s public health care system is one of the fundamental ways it sets itself apart from the United States, added Manitoba’s Kinew.

“It’s one of reasons Canadians live longer than Americans,” he said.

“And this is why businesses should realize that their investment in Canada is more competitive than putting those dollars forward in the States because they would be paying less towards the health care policy.”

Advocates warn that Canada’s rapidly aging population has strained the country’s health care system, creating a sharp rise in demand for long-term care and hospital resources.

The Canadian Association of Retired Persons say the premiers need to agree on their shared health care priorities and bring a united provincial and territorial position to the federal government.

The association’s president Anthony Quinn said health care is “simply too big for any province, territory or level of government to solve alone.”

““The person waiting for care does not need another jurisdictional argument. There is only one taxpayer, and that taxpayer expects governments to work together.”

Deliberations between the premiers are expected to continue until the afternoon. Afterwards, they are expected to address the media.

Then, on Thursday, all 13 provincial and territorial leaders will hold planned face-to-face talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

As the three-day meeting got underway on Tuesday, nine premiers announced they’re removing major barriers to interprovincial sales of alcohol.

Prior to the agreement, direct-to-consumer sales of beer, wine and spirits manufactured in one province and shipped to consumers in another were largely governed by item-specific agreements between provinces or were effectively prohibited.

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

Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press