‘Unjust and unjustified’: Poilievre outlines tariff response

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has outlined a wide-ranging program for retaliation against U.S. tariffs, saying “we indispensable enactment Canada first,” during an code to Canadians connected Sunday.

Speaking to the state from Vancouver, Poilievre shared a wide-ranging program for retaliation, a time aft Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced counter-tariffs worthy $155 billion.

“Common consciousness conservatives condemn President Trump’s massive, unjust and unjustified tariffs, which volition harm some American and Canadian economies,” Polievre said.

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff connected astir goods from Canada and a 10 per cent tariff connected Canadian vigor products connected Saturday. The tariffs volition travel into effect astatine 12:01 a.m. Eastern connected Tuesday, Feb. 4.

In an code to the federation connected Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hit backmost against Trump’s tariffs with retaliatory measures that volition see immediate tariffs connected $30 billion worth of goods arsenic of Tuesday, followed by further tariffs connected $125 cardinal worthy of American products successful 21 days’ clip to “allow Canadian companies and proviso chains to question to find alternatives.”

Outlining his ain seven-point program for retaliation connected Sunday morning, Poilievre said the authorities indispensable respond by recalling Parliament, issuing “dollar-for-dollar” tariffs connected the U.S., approaching cardinal U.S. states that volition beryllium “up for grabs” successful the 2026 legislature election, passing an exigency “bring it home” taxation cut, boosting interprovincial trade, and rebuilding the military, among different points.

Dollar-for-dollar tariffs should beryllium aimed astatine “maximizing the interaction connected American companies portion minimizing the interaction connected Canadian consumers and businesses,” helium said.

That meant targeting U.S. products that Canada tin bash without, that consumers could bargain elsewhere, oregon beryllium manufactured successful Canada — specified arsenic alloy and aluminum, Poilievre said.

Poilievre past said the “tariffs indispensable not beryllium a taxation grab,” saying each wealth gained from tariffs should beryllium enactment towards a “an immediate, emergency, ‘bring it home’ taxation cut.”

“The taxation chopped would beryllium designed to prevention jobs, make jobs, crush ostentation and boost our economy. We request to chopped taxes connected work, investment, energy, location gathering and making worldly astatine home.”

That meant axing the Liberal c taxation and the superior gains tax, arsenic good arsenic Bill C-69, and “green airy job-creating projects” specified arsenic LNG plants, pipelines, mines, factories and larboard expansions.

He past said Canada indispensable absorption connected escaped commercialized crossed the state and “knock down interprovincial commercialized barriers.”

“We merchantability doubly arsenic overmuch to the Americans arsenic we merchantability to ourselves. These interprovincial barriers are destructive.”

Further, Poilievre said Canada needed to “rebuild our subject and to instrumentality backmost power of our borders,” citing  amerciable migration and fentanyl overdoses arsenic good arsenic guns coming to Canada from the U.S.

Poilievre’s last constituent was to attack cardinal U.S. states that volition beryllium “up for grabs” up of the 2026 legislature election.

“To unit the medication to backmost down, we must… fto their congressmen and senators cognize that they volition beryllium moving connected a atrocious economical grounds if refinery workers person mislaid jobs due to the fact that Canadian lipid tin nary longer marque it to them, oregon if young families can’t bargain homes due to the fact that lumber is adjacent much costly for location builders, oregon families that are already suffering from ostentation are paying much for state due to the fact that our vigor has go much costly owed to American tariffs.”

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Like Trudeau a time earlier, Poilievre besides took the accidental to code Americans during his speech.

“You are our friends. You are our neighbours. We stock the longest undefended borderline successful the past of the world. You bargain our products and we bargain yours,” Poilievre said.

“You person a commercialized surplus with america erstwhile vigor is excluded and erstwhile it is included, the woody is adjacent amended for you due to the fact that you bargain our lipid and our state astatine monolithic terms discounts. Not due to the fact that we’re bully Canadians, but due to the fact that present astatine location we’ve made truly dumb decisions to forestall america from exporting our vigor to immoderate different countries.”

Asked astatine what constituent the Canada-U.S. narration would beryllium beyond repair, Poilievre said: “Our relationship with the Americans is not based connected immoderate 1 politician. It is based connected our centuries agelong past of trade, a relationship of communal defence, of warring connected the battlefield, arms locked unneurotic against communal enemies.”

He besides stated that helium believed Canada was “already successful a commercialized war” that “no 1 volition win.”

Earlier connected Sunday, Trump again blasted Canada and different commercialized partners connected societal media.

He repeated his claims that the U.S. pays “hundreds of billions of dollars” to subsidize Canada, and erstwhile again suggested Canada should go portion of the U.S.

“We don’t request thing they have. We person unlimited Energy, should marque our ain Cars, and person much Lumber than we tin ever use. Without this monolithic subsidy, Canada ceases to beryllium arsenic a viable Country. Harsh but true! Therefore, Canada should go our Cherished 51st State. Much little taxes, and acold amended subject extortion for the radical of Canada — AND NO TARIFFS!”

During Poilievre’s address, the Conservative Leader erstwhile again railed against the thought of Canada becoming the “51st state,” saying Canada is “independent and we are a arrogant nation. And we volition travel done this arsenic an autarkic and a arrogant sovereign nation.”

Speaking to reporters connected Sunday, Trudeau said Canada’s effect “will beryllium acold reaching and see mundane items specified arsenic American beer, vino and bourbon, fruits and effect juices, including orangish juice, on with vegetables, perfume, covering and shoes.