(Ottawa) Canada will monitor the implementation of the protectionist policies of Donald Trump, elected President of the United States.
Posted at 3:29 a.m.
Updated at 5:00 a.m.
The Republican candidate had promised to impose tariffs of 10% on all imports into the United States. In 2020, his administration imposed an equivalent tariff on Canadian aluminum before turning around.
Asked earlier Tuesday about the potential for violence following the vote, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded: “My job as Prime Minister has always been to work with whoever the Americans elect in as president, above all to be there to defend Canadian values, the interests of Canada and above all the jobs of Canadians, and that is what we are going to do,” he commented.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, recalled that the government has been preparing for “months” for any eventuality. “We worked through our diplomatic network in the United States, but also throughout the world to be able to be ready and therefore we are ready,” she maintained.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne
We are better prepared. Our American partners understand the strategic issue.
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
The security of the North and the Arctic, the resilience of supply chains now much more integrated between Canada and the United States than they were during the first Trump administration and, finally, a plan for growth for North America,” added Mr. Champagne.
Prime Minister François Legault did not react on Tuesday evening either, but he was worried last week about the “very protectionist wind in the United States”. Quebec exports 70% of what it produces south of the border.
The review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement is scheduled for 2026, hence the importance of urging the Senate to adopt Bill C-282 to protect supply management from any negotiations future trade, insisted the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, on Tuesday.
During question period, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Prime Minister Trudeau of having “capitulated” to the Americans who once again imposed tariffs on softwood lumber.
Progress “one way or another”
There will be work to do on the environmental front, according to federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson. During Trump’s first term, the United States withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement while the Biden administration invested heavily in the fight against climate change and the energy transition with theInflation Reduction Act (IRA).
“It is certain that we will encourage the United States, [si M. Trump] wins the elections, to retain their leadership. I think the United States has seen tremendous economic progress, especially in the red states, when it comes to the impacts of the IRA. So, you know, we’ll have work to do if President Trump wins. But I am hopeful that there will be progress in the United States one way or another. »
The Republican candidate had promised to cancel IRA grants that have not yet been paid. If he put this policy into effect, it could have an impact in Canada on the federal funds planned for the Northvolt plant in Quebec. Ottawa was committed to matching them as long as this American legislation was in force.
The government also has a plan in the event of an influx of asylum seekers, revealed the Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller, without wanting to give details. “We look at all the scenarios, obviously,” he said.
No significant incident
The government is also concerned about excesses following the vote. The Global network reported Tuesday that Prime Minister Trudeau had received several briefings on possible disruptions and violent events in the United States.
Although the vote took place under high tension in the pivotal states, the agency responsible for cybersecurity and infrastructure security (CISA) wanted to be reassuring.
“As expected, we are seeing localized disruptions across the country, but we are not currently monitoring any significant incidents having a national impact on the security of electoral infrastructure,” she said on X at the start of the afternoon.
Philadelphia prosecutor Larry Krasner responded on the social network to allegations of electoral fraud raised by the Republican candidate during the day. “The only talk of massive fraud came from one of the candidates, Donald J. Trump. There is no factual basis within law enforcement to support this wild allegation. »
“On the road to a great victory,” says Orban
On the international scene, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, unconditional supporter of Donald Trump, welcomed the first results of the American presidential election on Wednesday. “On the road to a great victory,” he wrote on Facebook, appearing in front of a television screen displaying the vote count in the United States.
The nationalist leader does not hide his admiration for his “friend” Donald Trump, whom he has already met twice this year and whom he has supported since 2016.
The election of Donald Trump could also have significant geopolitical repercussions. He has repeatedly said the world would see a third world war if he does not win the vote and has criticized U.S. military aid to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
“This war should never have happened, but we will resolve it,” Trump said during his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in September. He called for a “fair deal for everyone”.
His collaborators indicated that he was committed to “making every effort to bring peace to the Middle East”, after he reconnected in July with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A chill was created between the two men after the latter congratulated Joe Biden after his victory as president of the United States in 2020.
A trade war with China is also reportedly on the horizon as Trump has threatened to impose 60% tariffs on imports from that country.
As for Mexico, the United States’ largest trading partner, its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, indicated Tuesday that she intends to maintain “good relations” with the new American administration, whoever it may be, despite the threat of tariffs. customs which also loom over his country.
With Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
