Canadians must remain calm in the face of potential “devastating” tariffs on all imports from Canada promised by US President-elect Donald Trump, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said. He has also threatened Washington with a response to any unfair tariffs.
Trump threatened Ottawa with 25% tariffs on Canadian goods if it does not tighten border security to combat drug smuggling and illegal migration. The president-elect made the same threat to Mexico.
“One of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic,” Trudeau said at an event at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
However, the prime minister has admitted that the tariffs would be “absolutely devastating” for the Canadian economy. The country supplies its southern neighbor with crude oil and related products, natural gas, steel, aluminum, electricity, and a range of agricultural goods.
Many US imports from Canada and Mexico are currently exempted from tariffs because of a trade agreement that Trump enacted during his first term.
Trump was elected “on a commitment to make life better and more affordable for Americans,” and people will realize that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life “a lot more expensive,” argued Trudeau.
He went on to say that Ottawa will “respond to unfair tariffs” in a number of ways,” citing an example from 2018, when the US slapped import tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. At the time, Canada retaliated by imposing “carefully targeted” duties on US goods, such as ketchup, ballpoint pens, cherries, and Harley Davidson motorcycles. According to Trudeau, the tariffs affected electoral districts held by key Republicans, which is what convinced Trump to lift the levies.
Trump is widely believed to use threats of tariff hikes as a negotiating strategy to achieve his aims.
Radio-Canada and CBC News reported on Monday that the Trudeau government is considering spending $1 billion to protect its border with the US to allay Trump’s concerns and avoid the tariffs.
Trump announced plans to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico in November as part of a proposed crackdown on illegal immigration and drugs. Both issues were hot topics during the 2024 presidential election campaign.
“Thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing crime and drugs at levels never seen before,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. The president-elect went on to add that both countries “have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem.”
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