​​Justin Trudeau’s not the only Canadian pushing for a UK trade deal

LONDON —  Pierre Poilievre — the frontrunner to be the next Canadian prime minister — is keen to revive trade talks with the U.K. in the wake of President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

The leader of the opposition Conservative Party, which is surging in Canada’s polls, is eager for London to return to the negotiating table after talks broke down last year.

Poilievre’s Tories have “long supported opening up more overseas markets for our products and that includes supporting trade agreement talks with our close friends and allies in the U.K.,” Shadow Trade Minister Ryan Williams told POLITICO.

The call comes as the specter of Trump’s tariffs looms over the country — and just days after the Trudeau administration said it wanted to revive talks.

The U.S. president last week put a 30-day pause on sweeping tariffs against Canada and Mexico after both nations vowed to take a tougher stance against illegal migration and fentanyl drug trafficking.

Trudeau raised the prospect of restarting the bilateral negotiations in a call with the U.K.’s Keir Starmer last Wednesday, said a Canadian official granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The two leaders “committed to renewing efforts to advance bilateral trade,” according to a Canadian readout of the call. They also “discussed the importance of working together to promote economic security and stability for people in both our countries and around the world.”

Speaking after the call, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “the leaders […] discussed the strong trading relationship between the U.K. and Canada” and “how together both countries could go further to support growth.”

Carmakers in the firing line

Last month, Trudeau announced he is stepping down, launching a leadership race to select a new PM by early March, with Canada facing a general election before the year is out.

Recent polling gives Poilievre’s Tories a 92 percent chance of winning a majority.

Kemi Badenoch walked away from negotiations amid quarrels over Canadian farmers gaining market access for hormone-treated beef. | Leon Neal/Getty Images

Canada’s Shadow Trade Minister Ryan Williams said that in addition to supporting fresh talks, the Tories would “build LNG plants, pipelines, mines, factories, and port expansions so that we can get our products to overseas markets” like the U.K.

But doing a deal wouldn’t be easy.

Last January then-Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, a Conservative, walked away from negotiations amid quarrels over Canadian farmers gaining market access for hormone-treated beef.

The fight led to carmakers and other manufacturers facing extra tariffs at Canada’s border and British cheesemakers losing their preferred access to the Canadian market.