Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said he had a “colourful” phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, but the trade war imposed by the president will last for the “foreseeable future.”
“I can confirm that it was a colorful call. And it was also a very substantive call,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.
He added, “We talked about a range of issues, of course, primarily the trade war that they have chosen to unjustly launch on Canada.”
When asked if any profanities were exchanged or if the conversation got heated, Trudeau said, “I’m not going to get into it in details. But there were different sections of the conversation in which different approaches and tones (were used). But I’ve been having conversations and working with Donald for over eight years now. And a lot of it is rolling with it.”
Trudeau said the trade war with Trump will continue for a while.
“I can confirm that we will continue to be in a trade war that was launched by the United States for the foreseeable future,” he said.
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Trudeau added that Canada will not be backing down from its retaliation.
“We will not be backing down from our response tariffs until such a time as the unjustified American tariffs on Canadian goods are lifted,” he said.
He also hinted at possible relief for Canadians affected by tariffs.
“We’ll be taking action to support Canadians through the tough times ahead,” he said.
Trump and Trudeau spoke on Wednesday and the two leaders discussed “trade and fentanyl,” according to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Both countries will continue to be in contact today,” the readout adds.
Trump said in a post Wednesday on his Truth Social platform that Trudeau called to ask him what can be done about the tariffs.
“I told him that many people have died from Fentanyl that came through the Borders of Canada and Mexico, and nothing has convinced me that it has stopped,” Trump wrote.
“He said that it’s gotten better, but I said, ‘That’s not good enough.’ The call ended in a ‘somewhat’ friendly manner!”
Trudeau said Canada would continue to hold its course, despite the carve outs and pauses reportedly being considered by the U.S.
On Wednesday, Trump gave the Big Three automakers – GM, Ford and Stellantis – a one-month exemption from sweeping tariffs. Media reports have claimed more carve outs, including for Canadian energy and agricultural goods, could be on the horizon.
“Any carve outs that support any workers in Canada, even if its just one industry or another, are going to be a good thing to see. Lessening the impact of these tariffs is certainly something that I think is of concern,” Trudeau said, adding that carve outs would be good for people on both sides of the border.
However, he added, “But as I’ve said repeatedly, Canadians are in this together. And if some industries don’t have the same kind of pressure, we’re going to be leaning on all Canadians to be there for certain industries that are facing a little more pressure.”
Trudeau said relief for some industries could help with broader relief packages the government may introduce in the coming days.
“If someone gets an exemption or someone manages to hold through, well that’s great because money that might have been spent on supporting them can be spent better on supporting people who are still being hit by this,” he said.
Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to claim Trudeau is “using the Tariff problem” to “run again for Prime Minister” — which is false, as Trudeau as already announced his impending resignation and the Liberals are set to elect a new leader on Sunday.
Trudeau on Thursday said he would not stay on as caretaker prime minister after the new Liberal leader is elected.
“I look forward to a transition to my duly-elected successor in the coming days,” he said.