Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet will face new questions today about Donald Trump, who vowed on his first day in office to impose 25% tariffs on all goods from Canada and Mexico if border issues are not resolved. It is expected.
A senior government official said Prime Minister Trudeau and President Trump met Monday night after the report.
The official called the conversation “good” and said the call discussed trade and border security, and Trudeau said the number of migrants crossing into the U.S. from Canada is far lower than those coming through Mexico. he pointed out.
According to sources, the two vowed to keep in touch in the future.
In a lengthy statement released Monday night, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, chair of the recently reinstated Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations, and Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, said that Canada “The safety and integrity of our employees is our top priority.” About the borders we share. ”
They also noted that Canada is “essential” to the U.S.’s energy supply, saying 60% of its crude oil imports came from Canada last year, and that “we will overcome the scourge of fentanyl coming from China and other countries.” He emphasized that efforts are already underway to achieve this goal.
Following President Trump’s victory, Prime Minister Trudeau reassembled a special cabinet committee that has been meeting for weeks to resolve the incoming administration’s most important issues, including trade and the border.
The ministers who make up the committee are also seeking a new “team” in the face of a potential new round of high-stakes trade negotiations and the prospect of retaliatory tariffs similar to those seen during the Trump era. He also talked about the need for a “Canada” approach. This triggered the renegotiation of NAFTA.
Prime Minister Trudeau and his front bench were attending their weekly closed-door cabinet meeting at Parliament House on Tuesday morning and will take a series of questions from reporters on next steps upon their arrival.
The impending imposition of tariffs is also likely to be a key issue raised during questions later this afternoon.
What did Trump say last night?
On Monday night, President Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social that, effective January 20th, he would issue a 25% tariff on all products imported into the United States from Mexico and Canada as one of his first of many executive orders. I will sign all documents necessary to impose the same.” , and that ridiculous open borders. ”
The president-elect said the tariffs would remain in place until the two countries, which share a border, address what he called a “long-simmering problem” of drugs and illegal immigration into the United States.
“We hereby demand that they use this power. Until they do, it’s time for them to pay a very high price!” Trump said.
The move comes after President Trump’s pick as border czar called the northern border an “extreme national security vulnerability” and the top Republican threatened to impose across-the-board import tariffs of more than 10%. That’s what it means.
Concerns about significant economic impact
Based on the initial 10 per cent tariff outlook, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce said that “if other countries retaliate with their own tariffs, The ensuing trade war This would cost people on both sides of the border approximately US$800 (CAD1,100) a year in lost income. ”
The report’s author, Trevor Tombe, an economics professor at the University of Calgary, told X on Monday night that if President Trump actually imposes 25% tariffs next year, Canada’s economy could slip into recession. Posted.
Hours before President Trump announced his intention to attack Canada with this major trade action, Canadian prime ministers sent a letter to the prime minister urging him to convene an emergency first cabinet meeting before Trump takes office again. .
In response to the news, Quebec Premier François Legault, Ontario Premier Doug Ford Alberta Premier Daniel Smith also warned that such a move would have a major impact on sectors across the country and called on the federal government to come up with a plan soon.
With files from CTV News’ Vassy Kapelos, Brennan MacDonald and Mike Le Couteur
