Canada has eight days before new US tariffs land, and the response so far raises hard questions. Columnist Matt Gurney breaks apart what a real climb down would look like, and why one Toronto by-election says more about Ottawa’s nerve than any trade speech has.
He points to the federal government’s decision to pull a planned island airport expansion rather than risk losing a single downtown Toronto seat in a by-election the Liberals were expected to win anyway. For Matt, that decision draws a clear line around how much this government will risk, in Toronto or in Washington.
Matt also lays out the more sympathetic read: that Mark Carney is playing a longer game, buying Canada time to rebuild strength lost over a generation. Both sides of that argument are on the table, along with a clear-eyed read on what happens if Ottawa runs out of room before the deadline hits.
Topics: US tariffs, Mark Carney, Beaches-East York by-election, Liberal Party, Toronto island airport
GUEST: Matt Gurney | The Line | Substack | @mattgurney
Originally aired on2026-08-11
