Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised the “mutually beneficial relationship” between Canada and the United States as he congratulated President Donald Trump on his official inauguration, but Trudeau insisted his government will protect the interests of Canadians.
“Canada and the United States have the most successful economic partnership in the world,” Trudeau said in a statement after Trump took office on Monday.
“We are strongest when we work together. We will work with President Trump, his administration, members of Congress, and state and local officials to protect and protect the interests of the people while creating prosperity for our people.” I’m looking forward to it, Canadian. ”
Prime Minister Trudeau’s statement comes amid reports that Trump will not impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, as he had previously teased, as promised on his first day in office.
A U.S. official told Reuters that Trump has put a hold on action for now and instead sent a memo to agencies to “investigate and correct persistent trade deficits and address unfair trade and currency policies by other countries.” He admitted that he would give instructions.
The memo names China, Canada and Mexico for scrutiny, but no new tariffs will be announced, the official said.
This gives the Liberal government some respite, but it’s unclear how long that will last.
Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc told CBC News on Monday: “Maybe he has decided to kind of suspend the threat of tariffs. We’ll see.”
“Our job is to be prepared for any scenario.”
The federal cabinet is scheduled to discuss these scenarios when they gather for a retreat at the Chateau Montebello Resort, about an hour east of Ottawa.
The federal government has made clear that it is prepared to impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States if President Trump ultimately moves forward with trade measures. Officials are already developing plans to impose immediate tariffs on $37 billion worth of U.S. goods if President Trump turns against Canada.
Cabinet members will also hold a meeting as the party leadership campaigns to replace Prime Minister Trudeau.
So far, former government leader Karina Gould, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, former Bank of Canada president Mark Carney, Nova Scotia MP Jaime Batiste, and Ottawa MP Chandra Arya Six people are in the ring, including Mr. Frank, a former Montreal MP and businessman. Bayliss.
