Canada will do whatever it takes to defend and support workers and families in the face of unwarranted trade actions from the United States, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday as he met with the country’s premiers.

Mr. Carney stressed the importance of unity in his opening remarks at the premiers’ meeting in Charlottetown, in the wake of threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to impose 50-per-cent tariffs on a range of Canadian products next month.

The Prime Minister has been under pressure from premiers to provide a plan for the country if Mr. Trump goes ahead with the new tariffs on Aug. 19, with some calling for retaliation and others stressing diplomacy.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said this week that he wants Canada to hit back at Mr. Trump if the U.S. President goes ahead with the tariffs, saying Canada can’t continue to roll over to a bully.

Mr. Trump’s top trade official, Jamieson Greer, also said Wednesday that he’s aiming to negotiate interim deals with Canada and Mexico by the end of the year, while discussions about more fundamental changes to continental trade rules are expected to stretch into the new year.

While some premiers said they were hopeful a deal with the U.S. can be struck by next month, others said they weren’t entirely confident it would happen.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Carney referenced the fathers of Confederation, saying those who held founded Canada knew, too, the importance of unity.

“What they suspected then is what we know in our bones today: that our unity is our greatest strength, and that our destiny is in our hands,” Mr. Carney said as he sat alongside the provincial and territorial leaders.

“As everyone knows, on Monday, the U.S. administration announced its intention to impose the latest in a series of unilateral, unwarranted trade actions. And we’re clear: Canadian governments around this table will do whatever it takes to defend and support our families, our workers, and our businesses.”

Mr. Carney said that Canada is in a stronger position than it was when the trade war started 18 months ago, citing diversification efforts around the world.

The Prime Minister said he has met with the premiers 14 times since last March, including five times in person. He also held a virtual meeting with them earlier this week, to co-ordinate a “Team Canada” approach, including “how we can make the most of our expanding trade network around the world.”

“Because Canada has what the world wants, including being a reliable partner in a world that’s anything but,” Mr. Carney said.

Mr. Carney was joined at the meeting by Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, the government’s point-person on U.S. relations.

Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz, who currently chairs the premiers’ group, said he and his counterparts held “thoughtful discussions” about the country’s challenges but also its economic opportunities.

“While every province and territory brings its own perspective to these discussions, we’ve been united by a common purpose, and that’s delivering results for the people that we serve,” he said.

Some premiers said they were hopeful a deal with the U.S. can be struck by next month, while others said they weren’t so sure.

“I’m bullish, but I’m not entirely confident we’ll get there,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told reporters at a press conference alongside his counterparts Wednesday.

Mr. Carney and the premiers are set to hold a news conference later on Thursday.

The Prime Minister also spoke about the wildfires that have ravaged parts of Canada this summer, calling it “one of the worst wildfire seasons in our history.”

He offered recognition to the firefighters, emergency crews and members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are working “relentlessly” to battle the fires.