OTTAWA – The premiers of the provinces and territories met with Justin Trudeau this Wednesday, five days before the inauguration of President-elect Donal Trump. No decision was revealed regarding possible economic retaliation to the threat of 25% tariffs, but a consensus and a clear position emerged: “Nothing is excluded” and “we will protect workers at all costs.” price “.
“At the federal, provincial and territorial levels, we are aligned, we defend our country,” said Justin Trudeau at a press conference, surrounded by the prime ministers as well as his Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic LeBlanc.
Among them, Doug Ford quickly continued: “We will never give up, we are Canadian and proud of it. We want to protect workers at all costs, Ontario will be there for them. » The Ontario Prime Minister has been omnipresent in recent days on the issue of customs tariffs.
Mr. Trudeau says he hopes that there will be no application of such tariffs which would harm American and Canadian consumers. Adding that there were good discussions today leading to a consensus: “We must protect Canadians and show what we are made of.”
He also indicates that he wants to ensure that no region in Canada will bear a disproportionate burden compared to others: “We must be fair for all. »
François Legault, the Quebec Prime Minister added: “We are not here to tell you what we will do. What we concluded is that we are excluding nothing. »
In a joint statement, which everyone signed except Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who was absent, we read: “The Canada-United States trade and investment relationship supports million jobs on both sides of the border and help ensure the safe movement of goods and people between countries. The Prime Ministers will continue to work together and defend the interests of Canadians in the face of the threat of unjustified and unreasonable tariffs from the United States. »
The document highlights a common desire to “continue joint efforts to try to prevent the imposition of tariffs by the United States, including measures taken by the federal government to strengthen border security and curb the circulation of illicit drugs, such as fentanyl, in Canadian and American communities. »
The signatories further recognized the need to increase defense spending and achieve NATO’s 2% target as quickly as possible and to take collective action to preserve security and sovereignty. of the Arctic.
“Canada is not for sale” – Doug Ford
This morning, to everyone’s surprise, Doug Ford addressed the media wearing a cap with the message “Canada is not for sale”. A nod to the wearing of Donald Trump’s cap, to the message “Make America great again”.
Ontario’s premier said the tariffs are a threat to Canada’s economy and could cost Ontarians hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Over the past week, Doug Ford has made a series of announcements on his major plan to strengthen the “Fortress America-Canada”, develop and energize its economy with measures such as the establishment of a group of working cross-border with U.S. and Canadian lawmakers and energy and security experts.
Among the measures announced: accelerating the development of strategic resources, including critical minerals in the Ring of Fire region and measures to “protect the lands, airs and waters of America and Canada”.
The inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on January 20 will precede the visit of the premiers of the provinces and territories to Washington on February 12 to meet him.
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