Dealing with US President-elect Donald Trump and his thunderous statements on trade will be “a little more difficult” than the last time he was in the White House, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The Canadian prime minister indicated that Donald Trump’s team arrives with a much clearer set of ideas about what it wants to do immediately than after its first electoral victory in 2016.
Despite this, Justin Trudeau said Canada can come together and face the difficult scenario the country will face after Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
He made the comments during an informal discussion in Halifax hosted by the local chamber of commerce.
Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico if the two countries do not strengthen their borders to his satisfaction.
Last weekend, Mr. Trump participated in an interview on the television show Meet the Press on NBC, where the president-elect said he couldn’t guarantee the tariffs wouldn’t raise prices for American consumers, but that they would ultimately “make us rich.”
“All I want is to have a level playing field, fast and fair,” he said.
Justin Trudeau warned that high tariffs could be “devastating to the Canadian economy” and cause “horrific losses across all of our communities.” He believes Mr Trump’s approach is to introduce a bit of chaos to destabilize his negotiating partners.
But he also said Canada exports a range of products to the United States, from steel and aluminum to crude oil and agricultural products, all of which would become more expensive and at the same time create real difficulties for the Americans. “For years, Americans have been paying more for housing than they should because of unfair lumber tariffs. Maybe this level of tariffs will make them realize that they are hurting themselves,” the Prime Minister said.
“Mr. Trump was elected on a promise to make life better and more affordable for Americans, and I think people south of the border are starting to wake up to the reality: tariffs on everything that comes from the Canada would make life much more expensive. »
Experts including Canada’s former chief trade negotiator Steve Verheul have warned the country must be ready to respond if Donald Trump follows through on his tariff threats.
The prime minister stressed that his government was still considering the “right ways” to respond, referring to Canada’s calculated approach when Mr. Trump hit the country with tariffs on steel and aluminum.
“It was by imposing tariffs on bourbon, Harley-Davidsons, playing cards, Heinz ketchup, cherries and a number of other products that were carefully targeted because they had an impact policy on the president’s party and his colleagues.
This is how Canada was able to “fight back in a way that was really felt by the Americans,” he added.
Canadian unity
Justin Trudeau also argued that the country needed to come together and overcome its political differences.
He offered a few rare words of praise to Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe — who rarely sees eye to eye with the Liberal government — as one of Canada’s strongest voices during the tumultuous period when NAFTA was threat.
“His voice with southern governors, his defense of Canadian workers and Canadian trade in a way that complemented the arguments we put forward, showed what Canadian unity was and what Canada’s negotiating position could be facing an incredibly fractured and conflicting American political system,” said Mr. Trudeau.
On Sunday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said “every Conservative would tell every American” that tariffs on Canada are a bad idea. He also took the time to call Mr. Trudeau a weak leader.
A member of his caucus, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, said he had dinner with incoming Vice President JD Vance and British Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch in Arlington, Virginia, over the weekend. He said it was essential right now to establish “strong relationships with our allies.”
