Trudeau Vows Strong Response to Unfair Trump Tariffs

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that Canada will respond "strongly" if U.S. President Donald Trump proceeds with tariffs, adding that "everything is on the table" during a press conference on Tuesday.

Speaking French, Trudeau said on Tuesday,"If a tariff is levied unfairly, we will fight it, and we will also support Canadians and work on how to protect our interests."

At that ceremony in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump signed executive orders directing his administration to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products and potentially targeting February 1st, with higher costs for American consumers.

His statements also included reactions to an executive order signed by President Trump on Monday, the order requires agencies to assess the effects of the USMCA on workers and businesses in the U.S. and to determine if the U.S. should exit the deal. The order further admonishes agencies to investigate whether stronger U.S. trade policies could curb the influx of fentanyl and illegal migrants into the country.

“While less than 1% of fentanyl and illegal immigrants that enter the United States come from Canada, our government has already acted to address the concerns raised by the president about border security with an over $1 billion comprehensive border plan,” said Trudeau. “We’re already working collaboratively to keep our citizens safe on both sides of the border.”

“Canadian energy powers American manufacturing, businesses, and homes. Of America’s top five trading partners, Canada is the only one with whom the United States runs a trade surplus in manufacturing, and Canada buys more goods made by Americans than China, Japan and Germany combined,” he said.

Trudeau noted that Trump’s vision of a "golden age" for the U.S. would demand more steel, aluminum, minerals, and reliable, affordable energy. "Canada has all these resources and is ready to collaborate with the United States to build a thriving and secure North American economy," he said.

“The alternative for them would be more resources from Russia, China, or Venezuela. Canada is a safe, secure, and reliable partner in an uncertain world,” he added.

While tariffs can bear down on American customers, they would tend to impact all the more given Mexico and Canada rank as the top three of the U.S. largest trading partners, together they represented some 30% of the entire value of U.S. imports last year, defined to U.S. trade data by the government. Trump argues that the expense is borne by the foreign suppliers of imports when it comes to an imposition of tariffs, but American customers will mostly assume the expenses, since traders of goods are unlikely to take over the whole share of any additional cost.