Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday in Halifax that Canadians need to remain calm in the face of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports. said.
“One of the most important things for us is not to panic, not to panic,” Trudeau told an audience at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.
“I know that’s the case, and these are [tariffs] The fact that they are absolutely devastating means we have to take them seriously. We must be thoughtful and strategic, making our case in a meaningful and cohesive way rather than trying to force the other side’s case on our own. ”
President Trump has said he will impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods if Canada does not tighten border security to combat fentanyl smuggling and illegal immigration.
“I’m a big believer in tariffs. I think tariffs are the most beautiful word…it’s going to make us rich,” President Trump said. In an interview on NBC meet the press It was broadcast on Sunday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a speech at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce that Canada would respond to the possibility that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could impose a 25% tariff on Canadian products. Prime Minister Trudeau added that the government is still considering how to respond.
CBC News and Radio – Canada reported early Monday Sources say the Trudeau government could spend more than $1 billion to secure the Canada-U.S. border in a bid to allay President Trump’s concerns.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Radio-Canada that the government’s intention is to announce a new border plan by Christmas, a few weeks before President Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. It is said that it is a thing.
“We know a few things about Donald Trump,” Trudeau said in Halifax. “We know he means it when he says these things.”
The prime minister said Trump also has a pattern of trying to “destabilize his negotiating partners” in order to create “some disruption in the established corridors of democracy and institutions.”
“This time is different. It’s going to be a little more difficult,” Trudeau said of President Trump’s second term.
“They’re coming in with a much clearer idea than last time of what they want to do right now, but we can do it because when a crisis happens, we as a country When the going gets tough, we step up because we can.” ”
Prime Minister Trudeau said the tariffs would be “devastating to Canada’s economy” and would mean hardship for those south of the border, while leading to “horrible losses for everyone in every community.”
“Americans import 65 per cent of their crude oil and a significant amount of their electricity from Canada,” Prime Minister Trudeau said.
“Nearly all of the natural gas exported from Canada goes to the United States. Canada depends on us for steel and aluminum. We also depend on us for imports of various agricultural products. Everything will be more expensive.”
Noting that Trump was elected on a promise to make life more affordable, Trudeau said U.S. tariffs and Canadian retaliation will only increase the cost of living for Americans.
“Of course, as we did eight years ago, we will respond to unreasonable tariffs in a variety of ways, but we are considering the appropriate response,” Trudeau said.
In 2018, the U.S. imposed import tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, and Canada retaliated by imposing $16.6 billion in tariffs on U.S. products such as ketchup, ballpoint pens, licorice, orange juice, whiskey and toilet paper.
The strategy was to target Canadian imports from the United States that would hurt constituencies held by key Republican politicians.
Trudeau said the strategy helped convince President Trump to eliminate tariffs in 2018, as Canada carefully targeted the president’s partisans and colleagues.
