Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette, whose province is home to a large dairy industry, said on Thursday that she was analysing what the deal will mean for Quebec farmers before deciding on whether to restore US alcohol sales.
Doug Ford, the traditionally outspoken premier of Canada’s largest province Ontario, has yet to comment publicly on the deal.
Meanwhile, other premiers, namely of Nova Scotia and the Yukon territory, said they were prepared to restore US alcohol sales.
The mayor of an Ontario city that is home to the country’s second-largest steel producer told the CBC that a deal that includes 25% tariffs on the sector “wouldn’t be something to celebrate”.
“I am worried with the news that’s coming out that we are not seeing a deal that will benefit our community at the very least,” Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said.
Leader of the Conservative opposition Pierre Poilievre also criticised what is known about the deal so far, saying that “one-sided tariffs on Canadian industry would be a bad deal.”
But Carney has also faced pressure from businesses and stakeholders to reach a deal that would avert an additional 50% tariff that Trump has threatened on a range of Canadian goods, from hockey equipment to wine to cement.
Canada could lose 90,000 jobs if the new tariffs were implemented, according to estimates in an analysis published on Thursday, external by Trevor Tombe, a Calgary-based economist.
The mixed reaction so far is a glimpse of the task ahead for Prime Minister Carney after he campaigned on a tough “elbows-up” approach to dealing with Trump.
Polls suggest a majority of Canadians would be unhappy if the Carney government made significant concessions to the US, with 56% surveyed by polling firm Leger, external saying they wanted Canada to take a hardline approach.
In a leaked audio recording reported by the Canadian Press, US Vice-President JD Vance told attendees at a private fundraiser on Wednesday that Carney has tried to “out-tough Donald Trump” in trade talks.
“It’s hilarious because Carney presents this as some victory for Canada when fundamentally, like, they climb down on a lot of issues,” Vance reportedly told the room.
