Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet Canada’s premiers Thursday to discuss possible retaliatory measures against the United States after President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs affecting nearly every country in the world.
While Canada avoided a blanket 10 per cent tariff on all exports to the U.S., the White House confirmed a 25 per cent tariff on all imported vehicles shipped stateside. Canadian steel and aluminum producers will also face a 25 per cent tariff on their exports to the United States.
Speaking with reporters before a cabinet meeting Wednesday, Carney said Trump could potentially target additional Canadian sectors not yet subject to tariffs.
“President Trump has just announced a series of measures that will fundamentally change the international trading system,” Carney told reporters.
“In doing so, he has preserved a number of important elements of our relationship… but the ‘fentanyl tariffs’ still remain in place, as do the tariffs for steel and aluminum. As of this evening, the tariffs on automobiles will enter into force, and the U.S. has signalled that there will be additional tariffs in so-called strategic sectors — pharmaceuticals, lumber, and semiconductors.”
Carney pledged to challenge Trump’s tariffs directly through targeted countermeasures, emphasizing his commitment to protect Canadian workers.
“This series of measures will directly affect millions of Canadians,” he said. “We are going to fight these tariffs with countermeasures. We are going to protect our workers, and we are going to build the strongest economy in the G7. In a crisis, it is important to come together, and it is essential to act with purpose and with force. That is what we will do.”
According to a fact sheet from the White House, goods imported under the existing Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) will not face tariffs. Products imported outside the agreement will see a baseline tariff of 10 per cent.
Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Trump defended his decision:
“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said. “Our country and its taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years, but it is not going to happen anymore.”
Stock markets sharply reversed earlier gains following Trump’s remarks, and many economists warn that a global trade war of this magnitude could lead the world’s economies into recession.
