Canada cannot replace US with China, Carney’s Conservative rival warns

Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said China cannot serve as a substitute for the US, rebuking Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent outreach to the Asian superpower amid strained ties with the Trump administration.In a speech to business leaders on Thursday, Poilievre outlined his vision for the country’s relationship with the US and how his party would approach the trade war differently from the Carney government.“Canada’s prosperity and security are inseparable from a stable relationship with the United States,” Poilievre said at the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto.“That is why we should not declare a permanent rupture with our biggest customer and closest neighbour in favour of a strategic partnership for a new world order with Beijing – a regime the prime minister himself said was the biggest threat to Canada just a year ago.”The speech is Poilievre’s most expansive statement to date on how Canada should navigate trade tensions with the US, at a time when polls suggest Canadians view the Carney Liberals as better equipped to manage US President Donald Trump.Speculation that Carney may call an election has intensified in recent weeks but he has already persuaded three lawmakers from Poilievre’s party to join his Liberals – a sign the prime minister may consolidate his hold on power without triggering a national vote.