Prime Minister Mark Carney was in Montreal Friday to pitch his new budget, which he says is designed to boost the country’s economy and keep Canadian businesses competitive on the global stage.
He described the visit as his first real opportunity in the city to lay out how he plans to deliver on those goals.
“U.S. tariffs and the uncertainty that they’re causing will cost Canadians around 1.8 per cent of our GDP,” said Carney. “We translate that, that’s about $50 billion lost from our economy, the equivalent of $1,300 for every woman, man, and child in this country.”
The budget, unveiled earlier this month, includes fresh investments in Canada’s critical minerals sector.
Carney’s trip coincides with his Thursday announcement of a new suite of major projects being considered for fast-tracking, including a graphite mine in Quebec’s Matawinie region, just over two hours from Montreal.
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Carney also pledged to bolster Quebec’s hydro-electric infrastructure, saying he will double Canada’s electricity capacity by 2050, a key component in what he called “nation building” amid the ongoing trade tensions.
“The United States has changed,” said Carney. “That is their right. We must respond. That is our imperative.”
McGill University professor Daniel Béland views Carney as a safe pair of hands guiding Canada through challenging waters.
“There is a shift in policy reflected in the budget,” said Béland, director of McGill’s Institute for the Study of Canada. “The focus is much less on social policy or progressive measures and much more on economic investment. They have emphasized the importance of investment in the economy in the context of the trade war with the United States.”
Carney’s visit comes amid slipping approval ratings for the Liberals in Quebec, according to a new Léger–Le Journal–TVA poll. Support for his party in the province dropped three percentage points, while the federal Conservatives rose by four. The Liberals now sit at 39 per cent, the Conservatives at 25 per cent.
“The honeymoon with voters in Quebec is probably over now,” said Béland. “I am not sure it is a red flag, maybe a yellow flag.” He added that issues such as the environment and increased military spending remain contentious for many Quebec voters.
Montrealers that CityNews spoke to on Friday had mixed reviews about the PM.
“I haven’t really seen anything tremendous or terrible from him so he’s not really on my radar,” said one resident.
“I think he gave in to a lot of pressure from Trump on certain things,” a third remarked.
“He’s a good guy, he does have a certain experience in the field,” another said.
“I just read that he’s very good for the economy,” a Montrealer added, “I’m just questioning a bit like, how is he leveraging that experience he has to make that budget pass?”
