Mark Carney Hit With Final Warning – “Get A Deal Or It’s Over” | MP Chris Lewis

Added: 2026-05-04

[00:00:00]What is the worst case scenario if there is no deal that comes for these business owners? What happens to those 58,000 jobs?

[00:00:08]>> They're gone forever. So, the jobs are lost, the business is lost, the tax base is gone. Um, this is this is imminent.

[00:00:17]Like, absolutely imminent.

[00:00:19]>> That industry also feeds the 2.1 million manufacturing jobs that are in Canada.

[00:00:25]What happens then?

[00:00:32]There's a number I want you to think about. 2.1 million.

[00:00:37]That's the amount of jobs that are in the Canadian economy that have to do with manufacturing.

[00:00:43]Now, think about another number, 58,000.

[00:00:47]That's the amount of jobs that comprise the mold, tool, and dye industries in Canada.

[00:00:54]And that number is especially important because that industry is under threat right now.

[00:01:00]Not one year from now, not five years from now, between three and six months from now because of the latest 232 tariffs that have come down from President President Donald Trump. We covered this in committee the other day and there was powerful testimony that was delivered by many of the business owners that chose to come to Ottawa to fight for their business and their employees because Ottawa has not been listening. And Mark Carney has not been working.

[00:01:29]He needs to be doing his job and going down to Washington until he gets a deal with Donald Trump. Because if he doesn't, the mole, tool, and die industry could end up vanishing from the Canadian economy forever and having a catastrophic impact on the 2.1 million jobs in manufacturing across the country.

[00:01:49]Joining us to talk about this today is Member of Parliament Chris Lewis from Essex. and he is literally at ground zero of where the mold tool and die industry is in Canada. So Chris, thanks for joining us on Northern Perspective today.

[00:02:06]>> Well, thank you so very much, Ry. It's such an important topic. Um there's just so many jobs at risk, so many businesses that are literally hemorrhaging and have no clarity, no clarity, and it's all about the uncertainty and how do you run a business in uncertain times. So it it's an honor to be here. I thank you so much for educating uh Canadians from coast to coast to coast quite frankly.

[00:02:30]Of course uh the the Essex Windsor region um is probably the most influential uh when it comes to mold and tool and diet, but Quebec equally uh has a lot of tool and dye and mold there as well. So um it's but again it's across the country. So it's a wildly important topic. So before we get started, Chris, there's a special special message that you have for a special someone today, isn't there?

[00:02:54]>> Yeah, there is. And unfortunately, I'm not with that special someone right now, but hopefully maybe even this afternoon I will be. Um my wife my wife Allison's 50th birthday today. So um I love you lots. I love you dearly. Um thanks for allowing me to do what I do. Thanks for giving me the freedom to do what I do.

[00:03:14]um she knows it's a passion of mine, but but the sacrifice that she makes for myself and for our family is enormous and I couldn't do this without her. So, happy birthday, sweetie.

[00:03:23]>> Now, were these tariffs that came down from President Trump on April 6th, were they a surprise to the industry? They they must have been.

[00:03:32]>> If I had shipped the part on Holy Thursday or Good Friday, it would have cost me $1,500 in tariffs. But because we delayed till the following week after Easter Monday, uh it's now $36,000.

[00:03:49]So not $1,500. And it's hard to wrap your have to wrap the brain around.

[00:03:53]These numbers are real. And this is on a $244,000 tool.

[00:03:57]>> That's that's an insane number. That that means his tariff cost on that one part went up by over 1,000%.

[00:04:07]>> Yes.

[00:04:08]>> Which is insanity. And for those that don't know, um, so the the way this happened is before April 6th, and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that for every tool they shipped, they would have to pay a tariff that uh that was on the 232 tariffs based on the value of the steel that was in that product or whatever, correct?

[00:04:33]>> Uh, whatever metal that was in there.

[00:04:35]and they would have to pay, you know, 10 to 15% on that. So if the steel was valued at $100, they would pay between 10 and $15. But now, now what has happened? So you're you're absolutely correct. That's what it was previously. So there's a there was a tariff for the the um US steel, there was a tariff on Canadian steel, and a tariff on Chinese steel. So instead now of saying there's going to be various tariffs that will all go into the just the tool itself, what the new 232 tariff now says is it's on the complete price of the tool. So it's on the purchase order price, which also would include all of your labor, right? All of your overhead, all of those things is what they're paying a tariff on now. And that's why we're seeing the wild tariffs going up. And that's why I think even a more important point to this whole thing, Ryan, is um this very tool, they got the PO last year, last May.

[00:05:34]So a year ago, this was this was what they've been working on. All those 1,500 labor hours into one tool. You think about how many jobs that is. But they started it last year and now with the flick of a switch, it goes from 1,500 to 36,000. And I guess the big question is so why is Prime Minister Carney not in the United States screaming about this?

[00:05:57]And why does he think it's okay to just to to punt the to punt the ball down the road? Uh it's not okay. It's wrong and people are going to be losing their jobs quickly.

[00:06:08]>> So ladies and gentlemen, this is a example of some of the numbers from one of the companies that was actually in committee yesterday and this is what Chris is talking about right now. So some proprietary information has been removed. So it keeps the confidentiality of the client and the actual tool itself. But you can see the purchase order date was from May 19th of 2025.

[00:06:30]And there's four purchase orders here.

[00:06:32]And you can see the price. This is the price to the customer. So this is supposed to include any margin that the the company would actually earn. So they sold it for $359,000 on the first one, 173 second, 205 on the third, and 129 in the fourth. So here's where it gets complicated. The steel tariffs came in on August 18th of 2025.

[00:06:56]So that price already went up 13,871 or around 4,000 or 3,600 on the other products. So the company said, "Okay, we'll just absorb that. Not a problem."

[00:07:08]Well, now now the tariff on that has gone up to 53,000, 26,000, 30,000, and 19,000. So when when they were expecting to pay around $25,000 to absorb the tariffs that were implemented in August, now those tariffs are looking at $130,000 for all of them for an extra $14,000 that they did not expect to actually pay. And this drives up that total tool price to $1 million on all of those orders.

[00:07:43]So I guess the I guess the first question that that should be asked is so when these tariffs came down, did the business owners try reaching out to the government? Did they try reaching out to the minister and and cabinet? And did they get any response?

[00:07:58]>> Yeah, I don't I don't know any specifics on that. um they're very very wise people with a whole bunch of connections. So I would be very surprised if they haven't been reaching out to various departments, various ministers offices, but they really came to us say uh we need some kind of like we need help. I we don't even know what to do anymore. What we know is we have no answers for for the the purchase orders that we'd like to give out to our our US customers. Um what we know is we have salesmen saying I I got a job to sell. Well, can I sell it? The answer is no. And what we know is there's a ton of uncertainty on the shop floor of the amazing skilled trade workers that work in these in these factories and mold making shops. He said, "We we really can't tell you." The scariest thing, I guess, at all, and I heard it yesterday, was um they're doing their very best to hold on to the people that they have because once those skilled trades go, they're never coming back. Never coming back. So to answer your question, in total um they're they're traditionally so wildly resilient um and their backs are against the wall.

[00:09:08]So they will have already done a whole bunch of homework to try to solve their own problem. Now it's time for us to step up. So you were in committee yesterday. You were questioning these people. You were seeing the reaction um to their faces and and their answers.

[00:09:24]What was it like for you? Because in watching this live, I was just struck by I think the the analogy I I made um to to someone earlier is is it almost felt like these people were at their own funeral. The way they were they were speaking. It was somber. It was it wasn't loud and boisterous. It was it was, you know, very almost too calm and controlled. What was that like for you?

[00:09:55]um listening to these people answer, >> that's a that's a very good question.

[00:10:00]I've definitely that was the most unique committee meeting I've ever been part of in seven years. Um but what I really what I took away from it was the true the true genuine concern and caring for others. That's what the witnesses were really saying.

[00:10:18]Yes, it's their business. Yes, one was a family business. I understand that. But the real truth of the matter is they're talking about the people. My father taught me a long time ago, you can have the greatest widget in the world. You won't build one and you won't sell one without people. And that's exactly what these these folks are saying. They know that they they feel wildly responsible to make sure there's food on the tables of the people that have supported them to get them to where they're at today.

[00:10:45]And all they need is help. They they're just asking for help. They're not asking for handouts. get us through this crisis so we can continue to put food on the table of our people. Um that's the the somber moment that you saw. I felt it.

[00:10:59]Uh obviously I was there to witness it.

[00:11:01]And thank goodness people still have passion and compassion for others. It was just uh it's a sad it's unfortunate we needed the meeting but it was a fantastic meeting.

[00:11:10]One thing that um I noticed as well because I expected some some great questions to come from the conservatives in the committee which they did and I expected some some strong answers from them in in response but what I didn't expect is that the strongest answers actually came against the liberal questions because most of the liberal questions seem to be around well um are you taking advantage of the free money that that we're printing. Are you taking advantage of you know our our strategic relief fund and um what have you done to uh to you know res resolve this operationally?

[00:11:54]They they seem to be putting the onus all back on the businesses. Um what was your take when when those questions started coming out?

[00:12:01]>> Th those were remarkable answers for our witnesses and that that's liberalism 101, right? Look at all the the beautiful things that we've done. by the way, we're really passionate for your issue. So, we've we've done all these things and just tell us what else we can do. The answers uh were were twofold.

[00:12:18]The second witness said uh all those things that you have either we've exhausted them, they're running out May the 1st, or we're not uh we we can't use them, we don't apply. But what I really found amazing for Mr. as a party from Lavel is when his answer was just tell us the plan. We need a plan. We can't play the game without the plan. Tell us the rules. We'll decide if we can keep playing or not, but where's your plan?

[00:12:46]And he was very again somber, but wildly steadfast trying to tell them, "We don't even need your money. Just give us the plan. But by the way, if it's more than 6 months, 3 months to 6 months, we're all gone. And not just my business." Um, that's the reality. That's just the truth. And I don't know how we could lay it out more black and white for the prime minister to get negotiations going. We we heard the witnesses steadfast yesterday saying no deal with anybody else other than the United States will keep us alive. Not with China. Um, not with Germany. Yes, it's all it's all part and parcel. We need without the states, we got nothing.

[00:13:28]So, it was it was fabulous testimony.

[00:13:31]Um, but I really love the fact that they said just tell us the plan. And really, that's why this emergency study is so important. Um, because that's all that's what they're really asking for. I I was a business person myself, so I know what they're asking for. Um, and we're just going to keep pushing forward these next couple of meetings and see what we can do.

[00:13:50]>> And the number one thing that I heard from all of them is get a deal done. And um you know the the liberals were glossing over all of this. They they weren't even referencing that. And one of them um I believe it was OOR uh I believe her name was condescendingly said, "Well, we all want to see a deal done with the the United States." And my inside voice responded to that and saying, "Are you sure? Are you sure you want to see a deal done? Because if the Liberals get a deal done with Donald Trump, then their boogeyman is gone and the the person that they're essentially waving around as the existential threat to the entire planet, that narrative disappears. So, and if you really want to get a deal done, why hasn't Mark Carney been meeting with Donald Trump? Why does he say in press conference, who cares, right?

[00:14:45]>> When he's being asked, you know, when the last time he he spoke to Donald Trump was. So, um, what is your response to that where you have, you know, this is, this is not a partisan issue right now. You have actual business owners saying to the Liberals's faces, if you don't get a deal done within the next 3 to 6 months, an entire industry is going to vanish from Canada.

[00:15:08]What is your what what is your reaction to that? It's about as simple as Canadians need to remember that Mark Carney promised Canadians, he actually campaigned on the promise to Canadians that he would have a deal done by July 1st of 2025.

[00:15:28]We're now staring down the barrel of July 2026.

[00:15:34]So one year later, the only thing he's returned for Canadians and all the travel he's done and all the photo ops he's done with all the meetings he's done, the only thing he's brought to Canadians is 49,000 electric Chinese vehicles with the promise for the next four years to get that up to 70,000 a year when our own automotive industry who makes the greatest vehicles in the world and has the greatest skilled labor uh against anyone is literally rotting on the vine in our own backyard. So that's it's I mean that's just it. And yeah, you can call me partisan and all those things cuz I'm a conservative. No, just just talk about the facts. And the facts are he's delivered nothing for Canadians. Um, of course he's going to try to blame Donald Trump for everything. Liberals are the are the best blamers in the world. The truth of the matter is, uh, I don't know if he doesn't know what he's doing. I don't know if he's scared to do it. Um I don't know if he's ashamed or if he's got a different agenda that I don't see, but why in the world he's not sitting in Washington cutting through all the nonsense and just cutting a deal for Canadians to keep industry alive, food on the table of Canadians?

[00:16:48]I I don't have that answer. I'm not a liberal. I don't think like a like a liberal, thank goodness. Um there there's a solution, but is there a will? So on that, what do you say to people that say, "Well, Mr. Lewis, this isn't Mark Carney's fault. This is Donald Trump's fault. He's the one putting in the tariffs."

[00:17:06]>> I say that if that's the case, then why did Mark Carney lie to Canadians and promise them a deal by July 1st, 2025? I say that first. Number two is leadership's not easy. Leadership's difficult. It's tough. And um you you you you can't point the finger at everybody when you're at the helm. um you you need to go get the job done. If you can't get it done, appoint someone to go do it." And he would he would probably say, "Well, Minister Leblanc is on this." Oh, is he is he is he is Dominic LeBron really on this because there's nothing getting done there either. Um the the truth of the matter is they they are so full of platitudes and and excuses for everything and the the name blame and all the rest of that stuff. People are getting tired of it.

[00:17:53]They're finally getting fed up. And I just hope I really, really, really hope that Mark Carney gets this before I have no industry left in my region and Canadians move to the States. Um, I really really hope. And in the meantime, we're going to we're going to scrap and fight um as like adults, right? um and use every last tool that we have to ensure that that there's still industry left because uh I I I love people to be honest with you. I really really love people and I love to people see people being successful but I'm I'm wild mildly afraid of future generations. My children are 23, 25 and 27. They all have a really good jobs. They work their little behinds off and they all live in my basement and that is not uncommon. That is not uncommon at all. It's the norm now.

[00:18:45]>> I'm, you know, so anyways, it uh it it just it breaks my heart that they they're not being they don't have the same opportunity that I had growing up, >> but I I I'm solutions driven and I try not to dwell on the negative. I always go to the positive, right? So, we got a lot of work to do, but man oh man, is it uh it's an honor to serve. Truthfully, Ryan, it's an absolute honor to serve.

[00:19:07]Um and I'm looking forward to to just seeing what these next steps are going to be. One of the things that all business people do is risk management.

[00:19:14]And in risk management, you always have to look at, you know, the worst case scenario and then try to plan for that, which is where these business owners are struggling for that because the worst case scenario is that they close. But let's talk about that. What is the worst case scenario if there is no deal that comes for these business owners? What happens to those 58,000 jobs?

[00:19:33]>> Well, literally, uh, we heard the testimony yesterday. I've asked the question quite a few times like, "How much time do we have?" And when I initially met with them, uh, beginning of last week, they said, "We're not talking about today. We're actually talking about weeks ago, but if we don't get a deal done imminently, like we're not talking tomorrow. We're not talking next week. We're talking today. We must have uh clarity today."

[00:20:01]And I said, "Okay, so how long?" Cuz yeah, a lot of people will definitely um embellish. This is not embellishment. He said, "Oh, no, no, no. We're we're talking weeks. Maybe we can get through to July. And once it's gone, it's gone.

[00:20:16]When we close the doors, you don't just turn it back on. Once it's gone, the m the the CNC machines, as an example, once they move, and I'm telling you, we're going to go to the States, they're gone forever. So, the jobs are lost, the business is lost, the tax base is gone.

[00:20:32]Um, this is this is imminent. Like, absolutely imminent. I just wish I just wish that the that the government love Canadian jobs more than they hate Donald Trump.

[00:20:45]>> And this is really the question because it is all about jobs and people and putting food on their table in a affordability crisis which is already bad as it is. So if we take this one step further, so the the the mold tool and die industry, if that goes down and all of those companies and jobs move to the United States and Mexico, as as we heard, we're never getting them back.

[00:21:10]That industry also feeds the 2.1 million manufacturing jobs that are in Canada.

[00:21:16]What happens then?

[00:21:19]>> Yeah. So, this is this is much larger than um uh much larger than just automotive. That's important for people to remember. Uh it's things as uh silly as it might sound. Kitty litter boxes, um totes that you would buy from Home Depot, garbage pales, it it's just and everything in between. So, this isn't just going to affect automotive. Uh every everything in everybody's everyday lives this will affect. But when you start talking about 2.1 million jobs, so 2.1 to put it in perspective, um that is that is from coast to coast to coast literally and that's 2.1 jobs. And if you times that by three, assuming there's only three people in a household, right? So now you're up to six over six million people affected. You imagine an extra.

[00:22:12]So now we have 2 million people going to a food bank every month. 2 million people going to a food bank every month.

[00:22:18]Put another 6 million on top of that.

[00:22:21]Let alone you don't have the industry.

[00:22:23]So I I don't know how how we're going to rattle the rattle the cage any harder, but we're going to keep rattling it because the truth of the matter is we cannot stand by and watch this completely slip away uh from our country. and um as a conservative will always stand on the side of industry, always side on the side of of labor for sure and to do what's right.

[00:22:48]>> So, a lot of the criticism that comes uh from from folks around the country as uh that support the Liberals is well, the conservatives are always talking everything down. Okay, what would what would Pierre Polyv do in this situation?

[00:23:01]So, Pierre Py were prime minister, frankly, I don't think we'd be in this situation. But let's say Pierre Pyv was prime minister today.

[00:23:09]How would he and the conservative team respond to a a crisis like this?

[00:23:15]>> For sure. That's a very fair question and I think it's it's twofold. Number one is um my leader Pierre, he doesn't run away from problems. He runs towards problems. I've seen it firsthand. Um and by the way, I I trust my grandson's future with him. Levi, he's 5 years old.

[00:23:33]He'll be five next month. and I and I trust his hands in or his him in Pier's hands. Um, so Pier would run towards a problem or he would fly towards a problem and fly to to Washington uh to go meet with Donald Trump. I'm sure he would do that in a heartbeat. The second thing is um we'd make the industry way more competitive. How? By cutting taxes.

[00:23:57]So cutting the carbon taxes, right? Like everything that he's talking about is to make our industries more competitive.

[00:24:03]So, um, if you if you lower the cost of energy and you lower the cost of of bricks and mortar because even on cement, there's a carbon tax on cement, right? So, those are the type of steps I'm I'm sure he would he would make because he's made those announcements.

[00:24:19]The other thing that he brought up just a month ago, ironically, in Windsor at a factory was to create a new auto pact, right?

[00:24:29]And then not only did he just make an announcement, he went to the United States and delivered that that and got people saying this exactly what we need.

[00:24:37]We need a new auto pack. We need a new auto pack. We got back to the House of Commons, debated it for a day, voted on it, and the Liberals said, "No, I don't think you do." And they voted it down.

[00:24:48]So he he's coming with so many potential solutions, so many fresh ideas. Um but Mark Carney doesn't want to I mean Mark Carney's got to show up to question Perry quite frankly to but he doesn't right um basically never. So Pier's Pier isn't just complaining. Pier's saying well here's the problem. Here's the solutions.

[00:25:11]>> And if you were standing in front of Mark Carney with all of these business owners and workers behind you what would your message be to him? You promised, Prime Minister, you promised July 1st, 2025, you would have a deal for these folks right here. You promised it. It's now 2026. You've been to Washington one time, and you have not delivered on your promise. You owe them an explanation because they're leaving and they're going to be leaving in droves. You you single-handedly are destroying a completely huge industry. 2.1 million jobs. You're spending all your time abroad coming home with nothing other than 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles.

[00:25:58]Shameful.