Poilievre says Trump needs to ‘knock it off’ after president unveils new tariffs

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This article was published 27/03/2025 (194 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

COQUITLAM, B.C. – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump should “knock it off” after the president moved to impose another round of tariffs on Canada.

Poilievre was in Coquitlam, B.C. Thursday to announce a plan to boost the amount of money Canadians can put into tax-free savings accounts, as long as the funds are used to support domestic economic growth.

But much of the focus across the campaign trail Thursday remained on Canada’s relationship with its closest ally and neighbour, after Trump signed an executive order imposing new auto tariffs Wednesday night.

“There he goes again, attacking his closest neighbour and America’s best friend,” Poilievre said.

“My message to President Trump is, knock it off. Stop attacking America’s friends. Start trading so we can once again become richer, stronger, and more secure on both sides of the border.”

Poilievre has tried to put distance between himself and Trump in recent weeks, after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was accused of asking for American interference in Canada’s federal election.

In a March 8 interview with Breitbart News, Smith called on U.S. officials to pause tariffs until after the election and said that Poilievre’s “perspective” would be “very much in sync with, I think, with the new direction in America.”

Then, on Thursday, the Toronto Star reported internal polling from Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative Party had the federal Liberals with a double-digit lead in Ontario.

The Star quoted Ford’s recent campaign manager, Kory Teneycke, as saying Poilievre “looks too much like Trump” and “sounds too much like Trump.”

Poilievre sidestepped when reporters in Coquitlam asked him to respond to the remarks.

Poilievre was the only one of the three main national party leaders who did not adjust his campaign plans Thursday following Trump’s latest trade salvo.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney returned to Ottawa for a meeting with his U.S.-Canada cabinet committee, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh scrapped plans to campaign in London, Ont., and instead travelled to Windsor, Ont., to show support for autoworkers there.

But Poilievre’s campaign promise Thursday nodded at growing support among Canadians for domestic businesses. The Conservative leader is promising to adjust tax-free savings account contribution limits upwards by $5,000 — but only for investments made in Canada.

“As prime minister, I will bring home the ‘Canada First TFSA top up,'” Poilievre told a press conference, adding that it was the Conservatives who launched the TFSA in 2009.

“This will bring billions of dollars of investment into Canadian companies who will then spend it on factories, equipment, tools, wages, and making our economy self-reliant and strong.”

The government currently allows Canadians to contribute $7,000 each year to their TFSAs, which can be used to invest in things like stocks, mutual funds and simple high-interest savings accounts.

As of 2022 — the most recent year for which data from the Canada Revenue Agency is available — nearly 18 million Canadians had a TFSA, with 9.8 million people contributing.

But only 1.5 million Canadians had maximized their TFSA contribution room in 2022 — an indication of how many TFSA holders stand to benefit from the added contribution room Poilievre is promising.

Unused TFSA contribution room also carries over from one year to the next, allowing Canadians to make more than the maximum yearly contribution if they didn’t contribute the maximum in previous years.

According to the CRA, Canadians had an average of $46,192 in unused TFSA contribution room in 2022.

Poilievre said the tax system already defines “Canadian investments,” but his government would also craft a definition for banks to identify companies supporting Canadian jobs.

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Later Thursday, Poilievre held a rally in Surrey, B.C., where supporters chanted “bring it home” and “axe the tax” while holding signs with messages such as “Canada First” and “BC Loves Pierre.”

Standing in front of a large Canadian flag, Poilievre told the crowd that Carney wants Canadians to be European while Trump wants Canadians to be American, prompting some at the rally to yell, “No!”

The Conservative leader highlighted campaign pledges, including a proposal to lower the income tax rate on the lowest tax bracket to 12.75 per cent, down from 15 per cent.

— Written by Chuck Chiang in Coquitlam, B.C., and Nick Murray and Dylan Robertson in Ottawa, with files from Brenna Owen in Surrey, B.C.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2025.