Trudeau says ‘no question’ Trump is serious on tariff threat

As Canada braces for sweeping tariffs connected Canadian goods threatened by incoming U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that menace should beryllium taken seriously.

Trump sent shockwaves earlier this week erstwhile helium announced that helium plans to motion an enforcement bid imposing a 25 per cent tariff connected each products coming into the United States from Canada and Mexico erstwhile helium comes into office.

Trump has said the tariffs volition stay successful spot until some countries halt drugs, successful peculiar fentanyl, and radical from illegally crossing the borders.

As uncertainty and interest looms implicit the potential interaction this could person connected Canadian industries, Trudeau warned Friday that determination is “no question” that Trump plans connected seeing this measurement through.

“One of the things that is truly important to recognize is that Donald Trump, erstwhile helium makes statements similar that, helium plans connected carrying them out,” Trudeau told reporters successful Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. “There’s nary question astir it.

“Our work is to constituent retired that, successful this way, helium would beryllium really not conscionable beryllium harming Canadians, who enactment truthful good with the United States, he’d really beryllium raising prices for American citizens arsenic good and hurting American manufacture and businesses.”

Trudeau reiterated that a “Team Canada approach” is going to beryllium captious successful the look of Trump’s tariff threat.

Two days aft Trump’s announcement, Trudeau held a virtual gathering Wednesday with provincial and territorial premiers to sermon U.S.-Canada relations.

“We’re going to enactment unneurotic to conscionable immoderate of the concerns and respond to immoderate of the issues, but ultimately, it is to tons of constructive, existent conversations with President Trump that I’m going to person that volition support america moving guardant connected the close way for each Canadians,” Trudeau said.

Trump’s announcement has drawn crisp criticism from governmental leaders crossed Canada and concern groups are besides increasing concerned.

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Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne told reporters successful Ottawa Tuesday that Trump’s menace should not beryllium taken lightly, but added that there’s inactive clip to prosecute with the U.S. counterparts.

“We person to instrumentality that seriously, there’s nary doubt.”

Champagne said the bottommost enactment is that “we’ll basal up for Canada” and its workers.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday that Canada and the U.S. person “shared interests” successful making the concern “manageable and controlled” astatine the border.

Miller said careless of the plans down south, Canada is considering a “number of measures” to fortify information astatine the border.

“We’re looking astatine a fig of measures and that perfectly includes further resources.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said this week that the state needs a program “to enactment Canada first” and erstwhile asked by a newsman if helium would beryllium consenting to retaliate against Trump’s pledged move, Poilievre responded: “If necessary.”

—with files from Canadian Press