Ottawa –
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned coping with incoming president Donald Trump and his thundering on commerce will probably be “a little bit more difficult” than the final time he was within the White Home.
Talking at an occasion placed on by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Trudeau mentioned that is as a result of Trump’s group is coming in with a a lot clearer set of concepts of what they wish to do instantly than after his first election win in 2016.
Even nonetheless, Trudeau mentioned the reply is to not panic and that Canada can rally collectively to deal with the robust state of affairs the nation will face following Trump’s inauguration in January.
Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs towards Canada and Mexico, if the 2 nations don’t beef up their borders to his satisfaction.
It comes a day after Trump appeared in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the place the president-elect mentioned he cannot assure the tariffs will not elevate costs for U.S. customers however that finally tariffs will “make us wealthy.”
”All I wish to do is I wish to have a stage, quick, however honest taking part in discipline,” he mentioned.
Trudeau warned that steep tariffs might be “devastating for the Canadian financial system” and trigger “simply horrific losses in all of our communities,” and that Trump’s method is to introduce “a little bit of chaos” to destabilize his negotiating companions.
However he additionally mentioned that Canada exports a variety of products to the U.S., from metal and aluminum to crude oil and agricultural commodities, all of which might get costlier and imply “actual hardship” for People on the identical time.
“For years, People have been paying extra for his or her properties than they need to due to unjust tariffs on softwood lumber. Perhaps this stage of tariffs will even have them notice that that is one thing they’re doing to themselves,” Trudeau mentioned.
“Trump received elected on a dedication to make life higher and extra reasonably priced for People, and I feel individuals south of the border are starting to get up to the true actuality that tariffs on every thing from Canada would make life much more costly.”
Specialists together with Canada’s former high commerce negotiator Steve Verheul have warned the nation must be prepared to reply if Trump goes by means of together with his tariff threats.
The prime minister mentioned his authorities remains to be mulling over “the correct methods” to reply to tariffs, figuring out that Canada’s calculated method when Trump hit Canada with metal and aluminum tariffs.
“It was the truth that we put tariffs on bourbon and Harley-Davidsons and taking part in playing cards and Heinz ketchup and cherries and a lot of different issues that have been very rigorously focused as a result of they have been politically impactful to the president’s occasion and colleagues,” he mentioned.
That is how Canada was capable of “punch again in a means that was truly felt by People,” he added.
Trudeau additionally mentioned the nation must rally collectively and work previous its political variations.
He provided up some uncommon phrases of reward for Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe — a frequent political thorn in his facet and “no massive fan of mine” — as considered one of Canada’s strongest voices throughout that tumultuous time interval when NAFTA was beneath menace.
“His voice with governors down south, his making the case for Canadian staff and Canadian commerce in a means that complemented the arguments that we have been making, did a greater job of displaying what Canadian unity was and (what) Canada’s negotiating place might be to a United States that has a political system that’s extremely fractured and fractious,” Trudeau mentioned.
On Sunday, Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre mentioned “each single Conservative would inform each single American” that tariffs on Canada could be a foul concept — and in addition took time to invoice Trudeau as a weak chief.
One member of his caucus, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, mentioned he had dinner with vice-president-elect JD Vance and British Conservative Opposition Chief Kemi Badenoch over the weekend in Arlington, Va.. He mentioned it is essential proper now to be constructing “sturdy relationships with our allies.”
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With information from The Related Press, Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington and Rosa Saba in Toronto. This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Dec. 9, 2024.
