Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t mince words, calling U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs “a very dumb move” and bracing Canadians for a bumpy ride as a trade war kicks off between the North American neighbors.
Speaking Tuesday in Ottawa after the U.S. tariffs and Canada’s first counter-strike took effect, Trudeau said, “I won’t dodge the truth—this will be hard. But we’ll rally together, because that’s who we are.”
As of midnight, the U.S. slapped a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports, with Canadian energy exports catching a 10% hit. Canada fired back with 25% tariffs on $30 billion in U.S. goods, effective immediately, and plans to tag another $125 billion in three weeks, Trudeau confirmed.
“Canada won’t let this baseless attack slide,” he declared in a Monday night statement, just before the U.S. deadline hit. “Our tariffs stick until the U.S. backs off. If they don’t, we’re working with provinces on extra measures beyond tariffs. We’re pushing the U.S. to rethink this, but we’re ready to defend our jobs, our economy, and fairness.”
Trudeau added Tuesday that Canada will challenge the “illegal” tariffs at the World Trade Organization and via the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). “We’re polite, sure, but we won’t flinch when our nation’s at stake,” he said. “This is the moment to strike back hard and prove a brawl with Canada leaves no victors.”
Trump’s Feb. 1 executive order, aimed at curbing migrants and fentanyl, paused the tariffs for 30 days after Canada beefed up border security. But with no further concessions, he pulled the trigger Tuesday. Canada’s retaliation list, teased last month, now rolls out in full.
More U.S. tariffs loom: 25% on steel and aluminum starting March 12, and global reciprocal duties from April 2, hitting Canada among others.