Montreal, Canada – Canada’s outgoing High Minister Justin Trudeau is assembly with provincial leaders to talk about looming price lists that United States President-elect Donald Trump mentioned he’ll impose on Canadian items on his first past in administrative center upcoming era.
In a social media put up on Wednesday, Trudeau mentioned, “None of us wants to see tariffs erode a successful partnership between Canada and the United States.”
“But we will be ready with a strong, national response if we need one.”
Trump threatened to slap 25-percent price lists on Canada and Mexico in a while next he gained the USA presidential election in November.
On his Fact Social web page, Trump warned the measures would come into impact “on January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders” if Canada and Mexico fail to halt abnormal migration and drug trafficking throughout their borders into the USA.
The Republican chief’s threat has drawn rising fear amongst Canadian political and trade leaders as his launch nears, with provincial premiers urging Trudeau to do no matter it takes to oppose the price lists from entering impact.
I’m assembly with the Premiers in Ottawa nowadays. None people desires to peer price lists erode a a hit partnership between Canada and the USA. However we will be able to be able with a robust, nationwide reaction if we want one.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 15, 2025
One in every of Trudeau’s govern allies, former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, stepped ailing in overdue December amid what she mentioned was once a confrontation over how the Canadian govt must reply to the prospective price lists.
“We need to take that threat extremely seriously,” Freeland wrote in her escape letter.
The USA and Canada are amongst each and every alternative’s govern buying and selling companions, and the 2 international locations exchanged $2.7bn ($3.6bn Canadian) in items and products and services day-to-day throughout their shared border in 2023, in step with Canadian govt figures.
Since Trump made his price lists ultimatum, Trudeau — who’s resigning as top minister as soon as his Generous Celebration selects a fresh chief in early March — stressed out the desire for discussion to conserve sturdy Canada-US ties.
He additionally prior to now mentioned the Canadian govt will “respond to unfair tariffs in a number of ways”, with out elaborating on what explicit measures could be taken.
The Canadian broadcaster CBC Information reported endmost era {that a} report circulating amongst senior officers in Ottawa lists masses of US-made items that Canada may just accident with retaliatory price lists.
The listing comprises American metal merchandise, plastics and Florida orange juice, the CBC reported.
At Wednesday’s assembly with Trudeau, some premiers, together with Doug Ford of Ontario, presented backup for the anticipation of retaliatory price lists.
“I’m a strong believer in retaliatory tariffs,” Ford, a Conservative Celebration chief, mentioned. “You can’t let someone hit you over the head with a sledgehammer without hitting them back twice as hard, in my opinion.”
Ford arrived on the roundtable together with his personal model of Trump’s trademark “Make America Great Again” hat: a blue cap embroidered with “Canada is not for sale”.
“We enter these negotiations from a position of strength, with as much leverage as possible,” Ford mentioned from his seat at Trudeau’s aspect.
He additionally had a message for the USA: “We are not the enemy. We’re your closest ally. We’re your closest friend.”
Business teams in Canada are likewise bracing for Trump’s price lists and the industrial disruption they will spur.
On Wednesday, the Canadian industry union Unifor issued a nation letter to the Trudeau management outlining steps the rustic may just whip within the face of Trump’s tariff proposal.
They integrated the imposition of retaliatory price lists “immediately” in addition to situation vacation to industries susceptible to layoffs on account of any industry warfare.
“Never in modern history has Canada faced such a rebuke from its largest trading partner and closest ally,” union president Lana Payne mentioned of Trump’s tariff statements.
“Threatening the livelihoods of Canadian workers — including tens of thousands of Unifor members in trade-exposed sectors — has crossed a dangerous line. This cannot be tolerated.”
Trudeau’s govt has occupied in a flurry of international relations with Trump’s incoming management because the tariff ultimatum was once issued.
The top minister himself travelled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida in November, and several other ministers have since made the go back and forth as smartly, in an try to defuse financial tensions.
Simply this era, Minister of Power and Herbal Assets Jonathan Wilkinson travelled to Washington, DC, to suggest a more potent power alliance with the USA, which imports tens of millions of barrels of Canadian oil each and every past.
However generation Trudeau has attempted to rally a “Team Canada” solution to Trump’s financial sabre-rattling, some Canadian premiers had been assembly with the USA president-elect one at a time, spurring fears of fractures within the unified entrance.
Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta, for example, travelled solo to Mar-a-Lago over the weekend.
Posting footage of her go back and forth on social media, she wrote, “On behalf of Albertans, I will continue to engage in constructive dialogue and diplomacy with the incoming administration and elected federal and state officials from both parties.”