{"id":18093,"date":"2025-02-25T11:44:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T11:44:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/25\/trump-threat-overshadows-1st-liberal-leadership-debate-national\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T11:44:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T11:44:25","slug":"trump-threat-overshadows-1st-liberal-leadership-debate-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/02\/25\/trump-threat-overshadows-1st-liberal-leadership-debate-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump threat overshadows 1st Liberal leadership debate – National"},"content":{"rendered":"


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He wasn\u2019t on the stage but U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s shadow towered over the Liberal leadership race<\/a> during Monday night\u2019s French-language debate.<\/p>\n

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The candidates \u2014 former central banker Mark Carney, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, former government House leader Karina Gould and former MP Frank Baylis \u2014 spent much of the debate talking about the threat Trump poses to Canada\u2019s economy and sovereignty.<\/p>\n

Carney said that Trump has changed since his first term and is now more \u201cisolationist, more aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump of today, he isn\u2019t the same as before,\u201d he said. \u201cBefore, he wanted a piece of our economy. Now, he wants our country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carney said that the first step when negotiating trade with the Americans is to be clear about what won\u2019t be on the table: supply management, culture and water.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe need to focus on what we can control,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t control President Trump. We need to reinforce our economy immediately. It will reinforce our negotiating position.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Gould agreed and said Canada needs to stand up for its economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to understand that Canadian businesses have a lot to offer the world,\u201d she said. \u201cNot just the United States but other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freeland said Trump poses a once-in-a-generation threat to Canadian sovereignty.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump represents the biggest threat to Canada since World War II. He threatens us with economic war,\u201d Freeland said in her opening remarks.<\/p>\n

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\u201cLast time he was president, he threatened us. And I was successful in protecting Canada. This time, his threats are worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Baylis said the talk of negotiation with Trump is meaningless, since Canada already has a trade agreement in place which isn\u2019t being respected by the American president.<\/p>\n

He proposed forming a new economic alliance with the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n

Based on polls and fundraising to date, Carney is the clear front-runner \u2014 making him the target of Conservative attack ads in recent weeks. Opinion surveys suggest his candidacy has helped the Liberals close the polling gap with the Conservatives, though questions about his proficiency in French lingered leading up to Monday\u2019s debate.<\/p>\n

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During an exchange about the war in Gaza, Carney stumbled by saying that the Liberal candidates were in agreement \u201cwith\u201d Hamas. Carney later clarified, saying he meant to state that the candidates were all in agreement on their positions on Hamas.<\/p>\n

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The Conservatives quickly jumped on the slip-up and questioned Carney\u2019s ability to communicate clearly in French.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t control the question, only your answer. The higher up you go, the more this matters,\u201d Conservative MP Dan Albas posted on X, in response to Liberal MP Anthony Housefather coming to Carney\u2019s defence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Mr. Carney doesn\u2019t understand that, he should not be seeking the highest office in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the post-debate press conference, the first question Carney faced was on his command of the French language.<\/p>\n