Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly will present Canada’s opposition to tariffs to Donald Trump’s new Secretary of State next week in Washington.
The new American president threatens to impose tariffs of 25% on imports from Canada, starting on 1is FEBRUARY.
But Mme Joly says things are still in transition in Washington and she points out that Mr. Trump’s new U.S. Commerce Secretary has not yet been confirmed by the Senate.
Minister Joly told reporters in Ottawa on Thursday that she had spoken to her American counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for half an hour on the phone on Wednesday and that she will meet him in person next week in Washington .
She says she stressed to Mr. Rubio that the tariffs will harm the American economy and its relations with other countries, and she wants to convince the Trump administration that Canada can help the United States block the China.
-Mme Joly maintains that during their telephone conversation, Mr. Rubio, “an experienced politician,” seemed open to new ideas and a “win-win” partnership, although she admits that “he is not the only person in the equation.”
The minister also indicated that she will meet with “other key Republican senators” during her stay in Washington and that Canada will intervene in the review of trade practices demanded by Mr. Trump.
The American president also reiterated Thursday his calls for NATO allies like Canada to devote 5% of their GDP to defense — a goal that no member of the Atlantic Alliance currently achieves.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded by discussing Ottawa’s planned increases in military spending and stressed that Canada is a partner of the United States in an unstable world.
