Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Saturday, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his threat and imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods imported into the U.S.
“Canada will impose 25% tariffs on American products, amounting to a total of 155 billion Canadian dollars (102 billion euros),” Trudeau said. This sum represents one-fifth of the annual U.S. imports to Canada.
“The tariffs will take effect on Tuesday and will apply to ‘consumer goods such as beer, wine, and American bourbon, fruits, and juices,’” the Canadian Prime Minister clarified, adding that they would also cover “vegetables, perfumes, clothing, and footwear, (…) household appliances, furniture, and sports equipment, as well as materials like wood and plastic…”
This announcement from Ottawa comes in response to Trump’s imposition of 25% tariffs on products imported from Canada and Mexico into the U.S., along with an additional 10% on existing tariffs for Chinese products.
“If President Trump wants to usher in a new golden age for the U.S., the best way to do so is to cooperate with Canada, not to punish us,” Trudeau emphasized during a press conference alongside Canada’s Foreign Affairs and Finance Ministers.
The Canadian Prime Minister reminded everyone of the long history of bilateral relations with the U.S.: “From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of the Korean Peninsula, from the fields of Flanders to the streets of Kandahar, we have fought and died together in your darkest moments,” he stated. “We have built the most successful partnership in the fields of economy, defense, and security the world has ever seen.”
Trudeau warned that the coming weeks would be difficult for Canadians but stressed that the new tariffs would also have an impact on Americans.
“The tariffs against Canada will put your jobs at risk, potentially causing the closure of American assembly plants and other industrial facilities,” he said, addressing Americans directly.
“They will drive up costs,” Trudeau warned, explaining that Americans would see higher prices on “food (…) and gasoline.”
At the same time, Canada is considering adopting additional measures beyond tariffs, which would affect critical metals, energy supply, and other areas of cooperation with the U.S., he explained.
Finally, Trudeau urged his fellow citizens to buy Canadian products and vacation in their own country instead of the U.S. “We didn’t ask for this, but we will not back down,” he emphasized.
For his part, the Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, stated that Canada “has no choice but to retaliate—and retaliate hard.”
The Premier of British Columbia, David Eby, went even further, calling Trump’s announcement a “complete betrayal of the historic ties between the two countries.”
“This is a declaration of economic war against an ally and a loyal friend,” he denounced, referring to “the whims of a single man in the White House.”
The threat of economic war with the U.S. has already exacerbated the political crisis in Canada, where Trudeau announced his resignation earlier this month after nearly a decade in power. However, he remains in office until the Liberal Party elects a new leader. According to a recent poll, the opposition Conservative Party is expected to win the next election with a commanding majority.
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