Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday vowed an “immediate and extremely strong response” to the US President Donald Trump’s imposition of “unjustified tariffs” on Ottawa.
Amid Trump’s crackdown on illicit drugs allegedly coming from Canada, Trudeau said his government would do everything required to avoid tariffs.
“We will continue to do that work and do everything necessary to avoid these tariffs coming in, but like I said, if on Tuesday there are unjustified tariffs brought in on Canada, we will have an immediate and extremely strong response, as Canadians expect,” Trudeau was quoted as saying by CBC News.
Further, Trudeau added that, “the first thing on tariffs is to emphasise that our government, and indeed all of Team Canada, premiers, business leaders, community leaders, are focused on one thing, making sure that come Tuesday and for the weeks that follow, there are no tariffs imposed on Canada.”
“The tariffs that the president speaks of for next week are centered around the fentanyl crisis that they’re facing in the United States, but that we are also facing in Canada,” he added.
The Canadian PM also addressed concerns regarding fentanyl trafficking into the United States, saying “less than one per cent of the fentanyl that arrives in the United States comes from Canada”.
“And for months now, I’ve been emphasising that less than one per cent of the fentanyl that arrives in the United States comes from Canada. But we know that even that one per cent, or less than one per cent, should be reduced, which is why we’ve invested USD 1.3 billion in strengthening our border capacities with Blackhawk helicopters, with drones, with 10,000 people patrolling our borders and keeping Canadians and Americans safe. And that Canada is not the source of problems for the United States,” he added, as per CBC News.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he will impose tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico starting March 4, while also doubling the existing 10 per cent tariff on Chinese goods.
In a Truth Social post, Trump linked the move to efforts to curb illicit drug trafficking, particularly fentanyl, into the US “We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA,” he wrote, confirming that the tariffs would take effect as scheduled. “China will likewise be charged an additional 10% tariff on that date.”
