THUNDER BAY — Patty Hajdu, the Liberal MP for Thunder Bay–Superior North, says constituents “were extremely impressed” by how Prime Minister Mark Carney stood up for Canadian sovereignty Monday in Washington, D.C.
The public parts of Carney’s trip to the U.S. capital included a news conference at the White House and remarks to news media after meeting with President Donald Trump behind closed doors.
At the news conference, Carney responded to Trump’s talk of making Canada part of the U.S. by reminding the billionaire president that “there are some places that are never for sale.”
After the private meeting, Carney told reporters their discussion was “wide-ranging” and “constructive.”
Hajdu said Tuesday that, during the recent election campaign, people in her riding repeatedly told her Carney seemed like the kind of experienced and knowledgeable leader the country needs as it faces threats to its sovereignty and economy.
“And I would say that (Monday’s events) gave the constituents of Thunder Bay–Superior North the confidence that they’ve made the right choice,” she added.
Hajdu said people in the riding that includes the north side of Thunder Bay and communities north of Lake Superior “were extremely impressed … with his ability to defend Canada, in particular to defend interests and to do so in a respectful way that doesn’t damage our relationship but clearly demonstrates the strength and resolve of Canada to protect our own interests."
She added that "constituents are already reaching out to say that they were very pleased" with what they saw Monday on TV from Washington. "That makes me feel really good that Thunder Bay-Superior North chose a Liberal member of Parliament as part of their team.”
Marcus Powlowski, Hajdu’s caucus colleague representing Thunder Bay–Rainy River, had a similar assessment of Monday’s Carney-Trump meeting.
“I thought it went well,” Powlowski said.
“I mean, obviously, Donald Trump is hard to predict … so I think probably a lot of people were nervous about it, particularly given the high stakes that are involved.
“There’s a lot of Canadian jobs that are kind of dependent on our good relations with the United States and being tariff-free. So I think it was a real high-pressure situation, and I think Mark Carney did very well.”
Powlowski, whose riding includes southern Thunder Bay and communities west of the city, said “the tenor of the conversation seems to have changed somewhat” and become “friendlier.”
That’s better for Canada-U.S. relations, he said.
Hajdu said the meeting was “quite serious because it’s related to the economic survival of Canada and it’s related to Canada’s determination to be economically self-reliant but also to continue to have a decent relationship with the United States.
“So there were a lot of eyes on that meeting yesterday, absolutely.”
Hajdu said the prime minister “was very clear in both the media availability and in the meeting with the president that Canada is a sovereign nation with trading partners that are global – and that of course we want to continue our strong economic and personal relationship with the United States, but that we’ll continue to take care of Canadians’ economic priorities first and foremost.”
Lise Vaugeois, the NDP Thunder Bay–Superior North representative in provincial parliament, said the prime minister “handled the meeting well, so we will have to wait and see whether Trump recognizes that he is harming American industry and American workers by turning so many industries upside down.”