OTTAWA, March 4 (NNN-XINHUA) — Canada will impose 25-percent tariffs on US goods from Tuesday if the Trump administration proceeds with its planned tariffs on Canadian products, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
“Should American tariffs come into effect tonight, Canada will, effective 12:01 a.m. EST tomorrow, respond with 25 percent tariffs against 155 billion Canadian dollars (107 billion US dollars) of American goods,” said Trudeau.
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly also said on Monday that Canada is ready to hit back at US President Donald Trump’s tariffs right away.
“We know this is an existential threat to us. There are thousands of jobs in Canada at stake. Now, we’ve done the work, we are ready, should the US decide to launch their trade war,” Joly said.
Canadian officials made a month-long diplomatic push to avoid the US tariffs. Joly said Canada has responded to Trump’s concerns about the border, including naming a new “fentanyl czar” and listing Mexican cartels as terrorist groups.
Canadian Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Monday that Canada and the United States are no longer trade partners as before even if the tariffs are removed.
“I don’t think we are going back there even if the tariffs are removed,” said Wilkinson.
Trump said Monday that 25-percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada will take effect on Tuesday.
On Feb 1, Trump signed an executive order to impose a 25-percent tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, with a 10-percent tariff increase specifically for Canadian energy products.
On Feb 3, Trump announced that the additional tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada would be deferred for one month, allowing more time for negotiations. According to this decision, the relevant tariff measures are set to take effect on March 4. — NNN-XINHUA
