Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his country’s prime minister met again on Wednesday to continue developing a strategy to counter President Donald Trump as the threat of U.S. trade actions grows more serious.
The first ministers met virtually this week to discuss developments south of the border. This includes President Trump’s initial decision not to impose tariffs by executive order, but later promised to impose tariffs on Canada starting February 1st.
With the possibility of a trade war with the United States looming, Trudeau and his prime minister are now furiously seeking to dismantle long-standing domestic barriers to make it easier to trade goods and move workers across state lines. I’m trying.
In a bid to improve the domestic business environment as the U.S. market becomes increasingly hostile, Canada’s political leaders have launched a new effort to remove some of the exceptions hidden in the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). did.
There is some agreement that disparate state laws on everything from the sale of alcohol to first aid kits to the size of truck tires need to be abolished to foster freer trade between states. It seems like it is.
There has also been talk from some prime ministers of an unofficial “Buy Canadian” initiative to encourage people to buy Canadian products wherever possible to cushion the potential impact of Ottawa’s proposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. There are also calls for the campaign to start now.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who is currently leading the premiership as chairman of the federation’s council, came out of the meeting and said he was fully in favor of retaliatory dollar-for-dollar tariffs on the United States, which would lead to tariffs. He said it was a possible policy proposal. Hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American products.
“We need to make sure it hurts Americans as much as it hurts Canadians, because it hurts Canadians as a whole,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park.
“We have to come back strong. The areas that are going to have the biggest impact on the American people: the Senate, the Congress, the Republican states with governors, that’s what we have to do.”
Prime Minister Trudeau has also signaled that he is open to dollar-for-dollar tariffs, but Liberal leadership candidates Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney, the leading candidates to replace Trudeau, also have expressed concern about that kind of policy approach. I support it.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is ready to hit back with “a dollar for a dollar” if U.S. President Donald Trump pushes through with his plan to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods on February 1.
Like Alberta’s Daniel Smith, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe disagrees with dollar-for-dollar tariffs and has said he would oppose export taxes on his province’s goods.
Moe said he supports “small, targeted tariffs” that “do not impact the economy” and firmly opposes broad tariffs on American goods.
On domestic free trade, Mr Ford said the prime minister and others were asking people to get serious about removing barriers.
“This has been going on forever. Enough is enough. This will really help the economy,” he said.
He also has accelerated the approval process for projects such as the Ring of Fire natural resource development in northern Ontario, and the construction of decommissioned projects such as the Energy East oil pipeline through central Canada and the Northern Gateway through British Columbia. He also supported reviving the project and reducing the country’s dependence on the United States.
Approximately $528 billion in goods and services moved across provincial and territorial boundaries in 2022, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada. This is equivalent to 18.8% of Canada’s GDP.
Although estimates vary widely, Ford said eliminating some domestic trade barriers could boost gross domestic product by $50 billion to $100 billion a year.
Eliminate domestic red tape
After a phone call, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston told reporters in Halifax that it was “obvious” that the province would end some protectionist policies that hinder cross-Canada trade.
He said some medical device companies in the state sell only to the U.S. because they don’t want to go through the hassle of selling their products in other states.
Houston said it would be easier to sell these products duty-free under the new NAFTA than in Ontario, but that is simply unacceptable.
“No one wants a Trump tax, so we must use this time as a rally to strengthen Canada. That means looking at domestic trade policy across the country,” he said. Ta.
Ford also said Canadians should think twice before putting items in their shopping carts.
He urged Canadians to reach for home-grown products instead of U.S. imports when they go shopping. You should get in the habit of doing so, because if the trade war progresses, U.S. goods could rise significantly in price in the coming weeks.
“If you see a ‘Made in Canada’ or ‘Made in Ontario’ product, buy it. Be sure to message the big retailers: Costco, Sobeys, Walmart, Metro, Loblaws. . Buy Canadian products,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed suggestions that he is using the threat of tariffs to encourage early renegotiation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was prepared to fight back with dollar-for-dollar tariffs on U.S. goods.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Canadians may choose French ketchup made with Canadian tomatoes over a competing condiment made by Heinz. Heinz has closed its century-old tomato processing plant in Leamington, Ont., leaving local farmers and workers on site. Stagger.
Prime Minister Trudeau said that by choosing Canadian products, “Canadians will not have to pay the reversal costs associated with tariffs.”
British Columbia Premier David Eby is asking people in the province to reconsider cross-border travel or vacations to the United States in light of President Trump’s threats.
“You should think really carefully about spending money in that country,” Eby told reporters.
“We will not spend money with countries that seek to cause economic harm to Canadians.”
