What’s the Deal?

August 23, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ottawa, ON – Today, Shuvaloy Majumdar, Conservative Shadow Minister for Canada-US Relations, sent the following letter to the Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, Minister responsible for Canada-US Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy, requesting that the Liberal government release the full details of the proposed Canada–US deal that was rejected on the evening of August 21, 2026:

Dear Minister LeBlanc,

I write to you as the Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Canada-United States Relations in the wake of the recent collapse of trade negotiations with the United States. As my leader, Pierre Poilievre, said yesterday, all Canadians must stand united as we face this challenge as a country. We want to continue the fight for tariff-free trade with our biggest customer.  

In that effort, the government has the support of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. Conservatives also agree that Canada cannot accept a bad deal or one-sided tariffs that would cause permanent harm to our industries and deindustrialize our country.

The collapse of negotiations and the application of new tariffs on both sides of the border will have serious consequences for our economy. Canadians deserve to know all the facts, to judge and hold accountable all of the decisions that are made which affect their lives. 

That is why I am requesting that your government release the full details of the proposed deal from which you chose to walk away on Friday evening. If there was a draft text of any agreement that both governments have seen, please release it. The US administration has seen it. Your government has seen it. Canadians deserve to see it.  

Even after addressing Canadians and the media, the public and Members of Parliament still remain in the dark on your government's demands in negotiations with the Trump administration. They remain in the dark on the circumstances in which tariffs would have been lifted on many Canadians exports on which millions of jobs depend. 

I appreciate that your government has been reluctant to share details in the midst of negotiations so as not to tip its hand to American negotiators. Those concerns no longer apply in this situation. The US administration already knows the exact state of play when your government chose to walk away from the table.

To be clear, we are not asking for negotiating secrets. Nor do we want you to share anything that the US administration does not already know. Rather, we are asking for information that both the US administration and your own government would already know, because both were involved in the back and forth. This information will allow all Canadians to debate and discuss the way forward as a country. 

Your government has, in the past, misinformed Canadians on this file. The Prime Minister claimed that the debts Canadians incurred to build the Gordie Howe Bridge would be fully repaid before we begin sharing tolls with the United States. That was false. It only came out when the agreement became public. 

In the past, the Prime Minister told the public he was imposing counter-tariffs while quietly removing them. He claimed the US President had stopped talking about making Canada the 51st State, while knowing the President had talked about it in a phone call with him. 

The Prime Minister said he would have a deal by July 21st, 2025, and still does not have one. He said he would “negotiate a win”, “handle President Trump,” and get an even better deal than we had before. There have been no wins. US tariffs on Canada are far higher than when the Prime Minister took office. 

Finally, the Prime Minister made roughly a half-dozen major concessions before even getting to the bargaining table, promising it would get us wins. It did the opposite. 

We are here to help and fight for a good result for Canadians. But we expect the Prime Minister to be transparent and open with the Canadian people about what the President offered and/or threatened in these talks. 

As we move forward, it is critical that we maintain the trust and unity of our people with transparency on the efforts you have made to date, and about the circumstances of these negotiations that are so important for Canada.