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Poilievre pledges co-operation, calls for action from Liberals as Parliament returns

  • Canadian Press Staff

  • Canadian Press

  • January 24, 2026

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA -- Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the prime minister to deliver results as Parliament resumes next week. 

In a letter to Mark Carney Saturday under the subject line "Time to turn rhetoric into reality," Poilievre said he's offering to help fast-track policies to enact trade deals, make groceries more affordable, fix the bail system and approve major projects.

The Tory leader also offered that members of his caucus could travel to the U.S. or other trading partners as part of bipartisan delegations.

But Poilievre's letter took sharp jabs at the Liberal government's record. It opened with a quote from Carney's now-viral speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week: "A country that can't feed itself, fuel itself, or defend itself has few options.”

Poilievre said Canada can't do any of those things, despite Carney's "rhetoric," pointing to food price inflation, rising gas prices due to "anti-energy" policies and gaps in Canada's military personnel and resources.

"You said you would move at speeds not seen since the Second World War. But the reality does not match the rhetoric," Poilievre wrote. 

"Sure, the deficit has doubled. But little else has changed. People cannot eat speeches. Photo ops don’t stop criminals. Pipelines need permits not signing ceremonies and red carpets."

The letter was sent to Carney before Parliament is set to open Monday after a six-week winter break.

Poilievre proposed a list of ways the Conservatives would help advance shared priorities, and urged the Carney Liberals to support Conservative legislative amendments and proposals.

He said Conservatives would help fast-track bills to enact trade deals, including one to invite the United Kingdom to the Trans-Pacific Partnership and another to approve the Canada-Indonesia Trade Deal.

He also offered to team up with Liberals to advance Canada's trade ties abroad.

"Members of our Conservative team are ready to travel to the United States or other markets to open up trade, including in bipartisan delegations, to expand exports," Poilievre wrote.

The Canadian Press reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office for comment but has not yet received a response. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2026. 

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