OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is meeting with premiers this afternoon, sources say, amid reports Canada is facing 25 per cent U.S. tariffs on Tuesday.
Neither the Canadian government nor U.S. President Donald Trump has made an official announcement, but multiple media reports say Canada was informed earlier today that the U.S. will impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports, with the levy reduced to 10 per cent for oil.
Trudeau has said that should the U.S. slap tariffs on Canada, Canada would retaliate.
Sources told the National Post that Trudeau was meeting today with his cabinet and later with the premiers, ahead of what is expected to be a public announcement this evening.
Trump has been threatening to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports since his re-election win in November, saying both countries had to stop the flow of migrants and fentanyl into the U.S.
Government officials say Canada is responsible for less than one per cent of each making their way into the U.S., but they have sought to reassure the Trump administration that the Canada-U.S. border is secure, dispatching new patrol helicopters this week and announcing a six-year, $1.3-billion border security plan.
Trump told reporters on the day of his inauguration last month that the tariffs would be imposed on Canada and Mexico starting Feb. 1.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, the president confirmed that remained the case, saying he was not looking for a concession from Canada. He said he was considering a 10 per cent trade levy on oil.
Leading up to Saturday, a flurry of ministers made trips to Washington to plead Canada’s case with Trump officials and Republican lawmakers, warning that U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports would also hurt Americans.
Trudeau has not publicly released plans for retaliatory tariffs, but promised on Friday that should the U.S. hit Canada with tariffs, it would react with a “purposeful, forceful” but also “reasonable” and “immediate” response.
More to come.
National Post
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