Sen. Elissa Slotkin Heads to Canada for Anti-Right-Wing Summit
Potential presidential candidate Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) is scheduled to travel to Canada on Saturday for a summit with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and other center-left politicians focused on “how to fight 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 seen as possible Democratic candidates for the 2028 White House – will attend the event alongside European liberal politicians at a gathering hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP). The report says the summit’s focus is “how to combat right-wing politicians on the issue of affordability.” CAP President Neera Tanden told Semafor that the meeting would examine “How to fight the authoritarian right?” while saying Democrats could learn from Carney, who has moved the Liberal Party of Canada “to the right on some issues” and “gained popularity.”
Breitbart News reported in July 2025, CAP received millions of dollars in annual funding from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations.
Furthermore, former President Barack Obama is to visit 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 exhorted Democrats are going to “fucking take back the flag,” too appeared in a video telling the military they could “refuse illegal orders.” She said she was concerned about the military being used “against American citizens” but acknowledged on ABC This week that to his knowledge, Trump had not issued any illegal orders. Asset accused Democrats implicated in “sedition,” while former CIA operations officer Bryan Dean Wright said on Fox News that Slotkin “knew exactly what she was up to with her little propaganda video.”
Slotkin’s trip comes as Carney deepens economic ties with China.
January 16, 2026, Carney announcement what his government described as a “new strategic partnership” with China. In a press release, the Carney government said “China presents enormous opportunities for Canada” as Ottawa seeks to diversify its trade relationships and increase investment.
The agreement includes a provision allowing up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles to enter the Canadian market at the most favored nation rate of 6.1 percent. The Canadian government said the deal is expected to boost investment by Chinese joint ventures in Canada’s auto 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 opened earlier this year. Electric Vehicles.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 to the country under the deal.
The expansion of Chinese vehicle imports into North America has raised concerns among U.S. lawmakers and national security experts.
At a Congressional hearing in December 2025 title “Trojan Horse: China’s Automotive Threat to America,” House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar warned that Chinese-made vehicles could function as “potential spying 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 transport systems in a crisis.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) said China had used “a familiar pattern of forced joint ventures, intellectual property theft, overproduction and dumping to dominate the auto sector.” Krishnamoorthi also warned that prices for Chinese electric vehicles were often “lower than what it would cost to make a car.”
Witnesses at the hearing also raised concerns about connected vehicle systems, supply chain domination and the possibility of malware disabling vehicles or infrastructure. Former British diplomat Charles Parton has described cellular modules used in connected vehicles as “the gateway” to modern transport systems and warned that China already supplies many of these components globally. Peter Ludwig, head of automotive software, likened Chinese vehicles to “the same kinds of risks in the physical world that TikTok poses in the digital world.”
Carney also publicly advocated reduce Canada’s dependence on the United States.
In an April 2026 speech after his Liberal Party victory, Carney argued that many of Canada’s “old strengths” linked to close economic relations with America “have become weaknesses.” He said “the United States has changed and we must respond” and argued that Canada can no longer rely on “a single foreign partner” as Ottawa pursues new trade relationships.
