Amid Trump trade worries, China tariffs give Canada ‘firm’ ground: Freeland

Chrystia Freeland says that a unified stance towards China volition springiness Canada a “firm foundation” successful upcoming commercialized negotiations with the United States and president-elect Donald Trump.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Freeland spoke to reporters Friday aft the archetypal gathering of the recently revived furniture committee connected Canada-U.S. relations, which she volition again chair.

She compared the committee to the task unit struck during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing ministers unneurotic regularly to code an “urgent issue.” In this case, it’s the Canada-U.S. relationship, which is acceptable to spot the borderline and commercialized relations successful the spotlight nether the incoming Trump administration.

Trump, who was declared the victor of the 2024 U.S. statesmanlike predetermination connected Wednesday, promised during the run that helium would levy broad tariffs connected each goods coming into the state arsenic portion of his economical strategy. He besides said helium would look to renegotiate the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which was signed nether his archetypal administration.

News that Trump is acceptable to instrumentality to the White House successful 2025 has spurred consternation among leaders successful Canada’s alloy and aluminum industries. The archetypal Trump medication levied 25-per cent tariffs connected Canadian alloy and 10-per cent tariffs connected aluminum successful 2018, a maneuver that lasted for astir a twelvemonth and saw Canada enforce retaliatory tariffs connected U.S. goods.

But Freeland said Friday that Canada “learned a lot” from its negotiations with Trump successful his archetypal term.

“What’s important astir that full acquisition is that Canada and the United States agreed, astatine the extremity of the day, that it didn’t marque consciousness for our 2 countries to person those tariffs imposed,” she said.

“To me, that is simply a precise almighty impervious constituent of truly the cardinal economical rationale, the cardinal economical payment that some countries get from the economical relationship.”

Freeland besides pointed to shared steps taken this twelvemonth successful Canada and the U.S. to levy tariffs against Chinese steel, aluminum and electrical vehicles.

Positioning the geographic neighbours arsenic a agreed beforehand against China, Freeland argued that the U.S. volition spot successful Canada a reliable trading spouse who tin lucifer the American juggernaut connected its economical and geopolitical priorities.

“Canada is precise aligned with the United States successful that respect. And that’s a last country wherever I spot a steadfast instauration for our enactment together,” she said.

David MacNaughton, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. during Trump’s word successful office, told Mercedes Stephenson connected The West Block past week that American officials connected some sides of the aisle were “pleased” that Canadian commercialized argumentation had aligned with the U.S. connected China.

“I deliberation we’ve got to beryllium seen to beryllium successful lockstep with them arsenic acold arsenic what the China narration is, due to the fact that if we’re not, we’re going to person existent problems,” helium said.

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Brian Kingston, the president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, told Global News this week that helium sees Canada being capable to carve retired exemptions from Trump’s tariff proposals by becoming a preferred root for captious minerals arsenic the U.S. shifts distant from China.

“If a Trump medication moves much aggressively connected its attack to China, Canada is perfectly placed to beryllium that beardown spouse and state and to assistance that modulation instrumentality place. So I deliberation determination is an opportunity,” helium says.

“If we harvester that with an effort to summation our mining capableness and beryllium that supplier of prime to the Americans, I deliberation we could travel retired of this successful a overmuch amended position.”

Freeland, who met with Canadian alloy producers successful Hamilton, Ont., connected Thursday, acknowledged that the state has much to bash connected the commercialized front, peculiarly successful cracking down connected circumvention that tin spot exporters nonstop alloy done affable borders to skirt costly tariffs.

But erstwhile she was asked Friday whether she was the close idiosyncratic to negociate with Trump successful a 2nd and last term, Freeland was adamant that she was acceptable for the renewed pressure.

She besides highlighted her narration with Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s erstwhile commercialized czar who is expected to play a cardinal relation successful the president-elect’s 2nd medication arsenic well.

“In my experience, President Trump respects spot and helium respects radical and countries who are beardown and wide successful defending their countries, successful defending their nationalist interest,”  Freeland said.

“That’s what I’ve ever done, and that’s what I volition proceed to do.”

— with files from Global News’s Sean Boynton