Trudeau to meet with premiers face-to-face after announcing resignation

The in-person meeting, scheduled for next Wednesday in Ottawa, will discuss the threat of U.S. tariffs from Donald Trump, the Prime Minister's Office told Global News.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will convene an in-person meeting with Canada’s premiers next week in Ottawa to discuss the looming economic threat from the U.S., the Prime Minister’s Office told Global News.

The meeting, scheduled for Jan. 15, will be the first between Trudeau and the premiers since the prime minister announced on Monday he plans to resign after a new Liberal leader is chosen. Parliament has been prorogued until March 24 to allow for a leadership race.

That announcement came with two weeks to go before the inauguration of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose economically damaging 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods upon taking office.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Monday urged Trudeau to meet “face-to-face” with the premiers as early as this week to explain how the federal government plans to avoid or respond to those tariffs, which he said should still be the number one priority in Ottawa.

“We need all hands on deck, and we need the prime minister to continue doing his job,” he told reporters in Toronto.

“Prorogation doesn’t mean vacation. It means continuing moving forward as the prime minister as long as he holds that title.”

The premiers are set to hold a separate call amongst themselves this Wednesday afternoon without Trudeau.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said Tuesday the “state of the federal government” means Canada’s premiers are taking the lead in the fight against Trump’s tariff threat, alluding to the political chaos in Ottawa.