(The Center Square) – Gov. Josh Shapiro met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a visit to Canada earlier this month, according to a report published by Politico on Thursday.
Shapiro visited Ontario two weeks ago and signed a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, which the governor said was a step to increasing collaboration, spurring economic growth, and attracting investment to Pennsylvania.
While his meeting with Ford was known to the public at the time, news of Shapiro meeting with Carney was previously not reported.
“I really wanted to just make clear that we respect Canadian sovereignty and also do business,” Shapiro told POLITICO in an interview. “I mean, Canada is a huge trading partner for Pennsylvania. We export and import literally about $14 billion a year on both sides. We have a totally balanced trade relationship.”
The outlet reported that Shapiro and Carney confirmed the private meeting took place “adjacent to an intimate dinner on the margins of the US-Canada Summit hosted by Eurasia Group and Royal Bank of Canada at Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton.”
Shapiro told Politico that Carney’s office reached out and offered to meet, adding that it was originally supposed to be five to ten minutes, but ended up being a 30 or 40 minute “really good in-depth conversation.”
“I’m an admirer of his leadership,” Shapiro told Politico.
However, Shapiro is reportedly not the first potential 2028 Democratic presidential hopeful to meet with Carney. Politico noted that Carney also recently met with former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.
Shapiro’s visit to Canada was also not his first since being elected governor.
In October, Shapiro was elected to serve as chair of the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors & Premiers, or GSGP, during a summit in Québec City.
During his visit north of the border two weeks ago, Shapiro emphasized the importance of collaboration between Canada and Pennsylvania, while criticizing the Trump administration’s tariff policy.
“The tariffs that the Trump administration has put in place are a real threat to both of our economies, as a result of that and the unpredictable approach to our allies, including Canada,” Shapiro said two weeks ago. “Our trade with Canada has gone down, has declined, about $500 million. That means fewer goods available for Pennsylvanians to buy, and fewer markets for Pennsylvania businesses to sell to.”
“All that chaos at the federal level in the United States is making us all worse off,” he added.
Supporters of Trump and Republican elected officials in the state have largely stood by the president’s tariff policies, arguing that they are aimed at benefiting American-made products.
Shapiro also seemed to criticize Trump for comments he’s made about making Canada the 51st state.
“I know that many Canadians, to many of them, the United States does not feel very welcoming right now,” Shapiro said. “I get that, given the reckless and disrespectful rhetoric coming from our President. Hear me on this: I respect Canadian sovereignty. Period.”
