Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, a longtime friend of U.S Vice-President JD Vance, is in Washington this week to advocate for Canada-U.S. relations after multiple unsuccessful emails to members of the Liberal front bench.
The Bowmanville-Oshawa North MP says he plans to meet with General Motors representatives and other automotive and manufacturing heavyweights. He will also attend the National Prayer Breakfast in the U.S. capital on Thursday — an annual gathering of thousands of politicians and power brokers.
“I’m reaching out to everyone I know,” Jivani said, adding that he is still confirming meetings with political contacts throughout the week.
Canadian politicians across the spectrum have attended the prayer breakfast in previous years. But Jivani is offering his unique experience as a friend of Vance. The pair met at Yale Law School and have maintained a friendship.
FULL INTERVIEW | Conservative MP Jamil Jivani speaks with CBC News
Jivani shared four emails with CBC News dated from Dec. 14 to Feb. 2 in which he offered to collaborate with the Liberals. He sent the first directly to the prime minister.
“I ask with humility, would you please consider how I might be able to help in a way that is constructive and strategically aligned with the federal government’s efforts?” he wrote, citing the 2017 multi-partisan strategy for negotiations that led to the creation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
He cc’d Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and other key MPs in subsequent emails.
While his messages centred on the need for collaboration on the imperiled free trade deal (U.S. President Donald Trump has recently said “America doesn’t need it”) Jivani also criticized the “divisiveness” between Conservatives and Liberals.
“The timing and spectacle of recent floor-crossings appears to many Canadians as an effort from you to demoralize Conservatives and the millions of citizens who vote for us,” he wrote. “This is unfortunate, as it does not need to be this way for Conservatives and Liberals to co-operate where there are shared national objectives.”
He says LeBlanc’s staff acknowledged his email and showed an interest in corresponding, but this has yet to result in a meeting. Jivani added that he has had the opportunity to share his insights with Canada’s outgoing ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman. However, he believes establishing a line with Carney and LeBlanc is critical to present a united front.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) did not address Jivani’s offer or emails directly but says “collaborating with other parliamentarians” will be critical to the future of Canada-U.S. trade, pointing to an upcoming meeting with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
“The bottom line is that we will always put the needs of Canadian workers and industries first,” a PMO spokesperson said in a statement to CBC News.
Carney says he expects U.S. to respect Canada’s sovereignty
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Trump have publicly exchanged a few direct and indirect barbs since Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum, where he called out, among other things, the use of “economic integration as weapons” and “tariffs as leverage” widely seen as an allusion to Trump’s trade policies.
But what that means for the trading relationship between the two countries remains to be seen. Last week Trump again lashed out on social media, calling Carney “governor” and threatening further tariffs, a move Carney calls a negotiating tactic.
Jivani says he wants to see a stronger sense of urgency around the negotiations. Just last week, GM Canada laid off 1,200 workers at its Oshawa, Ont., plant, located in a neighbouring riding. It’s a move the plant’s union describes as “a decision to cave to Donald Trump.”
“I think I have something to offer to help build bridges between our two countries, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Jivani said in a video posted to social media.
