Prospective presidential candidate Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) is set to travel to Canada on Saturday for a summit with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and other center-left politicians focused on “how to battle right-wing politicians on affordability,” as Carney’s government deepens economic ties with China and Canada prepares to receive its first shipment of Chinese-made electric vehicles.
According to Semafor, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — both viewed as possible Democratic White House hopefuls for 2028 — will attend the event alongside liberal politicians from Europe at a gathering organized by the Center for American Progress (CAP). The report stated the summit’s focus is “how to battle right-wing politicians on affordability.” CAP President Neera Tanden told Semafor the meeting would examine “How do we fight the authoritarian right?” while arguing Democrats could learn from Carney, who moved Canada’s Liberal Party “to the right on some issues” and “surged in popularity.”
Breitbart News reported in July 2025 that CAP has received millions of dollars in annual funding from George Soros’s Open Society Foundations.
Separately, former President Barack Obama is visiting Toronto on Friday for a keynote speech hosted by Canada 2020, a Canadian think tank that says it promotes a “more just, inclusive and forward-thinking Canada.”
Slotkin, who urged Democrats to “f***ing retake the flag,” also appeared in a video telling military personnel they could “refuse illegal orders.” She said she was concerned about the military being used “against American citizens,” but acknowledged on ABC’s This Week that, to her knowledge, Trump had not issued illegal orders. Trump accused the Democrats involved of “sedition,” while former CIA operations officer Bryan Dean Wright said on Fox News that Slotkin “knew exactly what she was putting together with her little propaganda video.”
Slotkin’s trip comes as Carney deepens economic ties with China.
On January 16, 2026, Carney announced what his government described as a “new strategic partnership” with China. In a press release, Carney’s government stated that “China presents enormous opportunities for Canada” as Ottawa seeks to diversify trade relationships and increase investment.
The agreement includes a provision allowing up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market at a most-favored-nation tariff rate of 6.1 percent. The Canadian government said the arrangement is expected to spur Chinese joint-venture investment in Canada’s automotive sector and expand the country’s electric vehicle supply chain.
On May 7, the first batch of Chinese-made electric vehicles was shipped to Canada under the trade framework that opened earlier this year. ElectricVehicles.com reported that Geely-owned Lotus shipped 18 Chinese-made Eletre SUVs from Shanghai to Canada, making the company the first automaker to physically deliver vehicles into the country under the arrangement.
The expansion of Chinese vehicle imports into North America has raised concerns among U.S. lawmakers and national security experts.
During a December 2025 congressional hearing titled “Trojan Horse: China’s Auto Threat to America,” House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar warned that Chinese-made vehicles could function as “potential spy platforms with a kill switch inside.” Moolenaar said modern vehicles equipped with cameras, sensors, microphones, and internet connectivity systems could allow Beijing to collect sensitive information or disrupt transportation systems during a crisis.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) said China had used “a familiar playbook of forced joint ventures, intellectual property theft, overproduction and dumping to dominate the auto sector.” Krishnamoorthi also warned that Chinese electric vehicles were often priced “below what it would even cost to make a car.”
Witnesses at the hearing also raised concerns about connected vehicle systems, supply chain dominance, and the possibility of malware disabling vehicles or infrastructure. Former British diplomat Charles Parton described cellular modules used in connected vehicles as “the gateway” to modern transportation systems and warned that China already supplies a large share of those components globally. Automotive software executive Peter Ludwig compared Chinese vehicles to “the same kinds of risks in the physical world that TikTok represents in the digital world.”
Carney has also publicly advocated reducing Canada’s reliance on the United States.
In an April 2026 address following his Liberal Party victory, Carney argued that many of Canada’s “former strengths” tied to close economic relations with America “have become weaknesses.” He said “the U.S. has changed and we must respond” and argued Canada could no longer rely on “one foreign partner” as Ottawa pursues new trade relationships.