
Canada has hit back strongly against US President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes stating it will levy 25 per cent tariffs on select American goods, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday.
The Canadian prime minister said to the press, “Canada will be responding to the US trade action with 25 per cent tariffs against Can$155 billion (USD 106 billion) worth of American goods.”
“We’re certainly not looking to escalate. But we will stand up for Canada, for Canadians, for Canadian jobs,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau informed that the first round of tariffs will be enforced from Tuesday targeting Can$30 billion worth of US goods, followed by further tariffs on Can$125 billion worth of products in the next three weeks.
The tariffs will apply on American beer, wine and bourbon as well as fruits, vegetables, consumer appliances, lumber and plastics.
The longstanding relationship between Canada and the United States has generally been strong over the decades but has recently shown signs of strain since Donald Trump took office this year.
Canada can be US’s 51st state: Trump
Trump during his rallies proposed the idea of using “economic force” to merge Canada and the United States, creating what he frequently describes as the “51st state.”
“Canada and the United States, that would really be something. We’ve been good neighbours, but we can’t do it forever,” he added.
Emphasising the financial burden on the US, Trump said, “Don’t forget, we basically protect Canada. But here’s the problem with Canada. So many friends up there; I love the Canadian people. They’re great, but we’re spending hundreds of billions a year to protect it. We’re spending hundreds of billions a year to take care of Canada. We lose in trade deficits.”
US levies tariffs on Canada
On Saturday, the US President levied tariff hikes on Canada, Mexico and China, marking the start of a trade war that is expected to spread to other countries.
The Trump administration has levied an additional tariff of 25 per cent on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10 per cent on those from China. Oil imports from Canada will, however, be subject to a lower levy of 10 per cent.
Have sided US in their ‘darkest hours’: Truedeu
Justin Trudeau reminded the US President that Canada has always been on its side even during its ‘darkest hours’, from the Iran hostage crisis and war in Afghanistan to deadly natural disasters such as the recent California wildfires.
“If President Trump wants to usher in a new golden age for the United States, the better path is to partner with Canada, not to punish us. Unfortunately, the actions taken today by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together,” The Canadian PM told reporters.