OTTAWA — Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey mentioned Wednesday Canada ought to be certain the U.S. is conscious of its important reliance on Canadian vitality — however shouldn’t pull again on these exports simply but.
OTTAWA — Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey mentioned Wednesday Canada ought to be certain the U.S. is conscious of its important reliance on Canadian vitality — however shouldn’t pull again on these exports simply but.
Furey joined different premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a gathering in Ottawa Wednesday to debate Canada’s plan to answer U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Trump might be sworn into workplace for his second time period as president on Jan. 20 and has mentioned he intends to impose a 25 per cent import tariff on all Canadian items the identical day.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault mentioned Canada ought to have choices ready if Trump follows by means of on that menace, as most premiers count on he’ll.
Furey mentioned Canada should have a proportional response prepared however shouldn’t play its hand too early by blocking or limiting vitality exports to the U.S.
Each Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have rejected the concept of any measures that will have an effect on Canada’s vitality exports to the USA.
“We shouldn’t be contemplating export tariffs or taxing issues that Canadians are producing,” Moe mentioned on his means into the assembly Wednesday.
Furey, whose province can be an oil-producing area, didn’t shut the door to utilizing vitality exports as a commerce weapon.
“I see vitality as Canada’s queen on this sport of chess,” he mentioned. “We needn’t expose our queen this early. The opposition must know that the queen exists however they needn’t know what we’ll do with the queen.”
Canada is the highest provider of overseas oil to the U.S. and accounts for about one-fifth of its oil provide.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, at present the chair of the premiers’ affiliation referred to as the Council of the Federation, confirmed as much as the assembly sporting a blue baseball hat with the message “Canada is just not on the market” — a reference to Trump’s repeated claims that he needs to annex Canada into the U.S. utilizing “financial power.”
“President Trump needs to devastate Canada,” Ford mentioned. “That is unacceptable.”
Public Security Minister David McGuinty mentioned Canada’s plans to beef up border safety on the assembly Wednesday morning.
Ford referred to as the border plan “phenomenal” on Tuesday, but it surely would not appear to have deterred the president-elect.
Trump initially mentioned the tariffs have been being imposed in response to medication and unlawful immigration crossing the shared border, however has since pivoted to citing the USA’ commerce deficit with Canada.
Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who’s attending the assembly with the premiers, mentioned Tuesday his division and Canada’s main banks have been engaged on modelling potential job losses from the tariffs. He declined to share that data.
“We’re not going to take a position on what precisely are totally different situations. Subsequent week, we predict we’ll know the exact particulars of what these tariffs will imply to the Canadian financial system and naturally we’ll be prepared to reply from a place of energy,” LeBlanc mentioned Tuesday.
Ford estimated that the tariffs might value 500,000 jobs in Ontario alone.
Premier Smith met with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago resort over the weekend. She is attending the assembly Wednesday just about, as is British Columbia Premier David Eby.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Jan. 15, 2025.
David Baxter and Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press
