Canada willing to take ‘very strong’ response against Trump’s tariff threats: PM Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has firmly warned against US President Donald Trump’s plans to impose hefty tariffs on February 1, saying that Ottawa will respond with “robust, rapid” and “very strong” retaliatory measures.

Trudeau said on Tuesday (Jan 21) that Canada is ready to deploy measures against the tariffs scheme, according to a CBS report.

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The Canadian PM’s comments came hours after the new US president announced that he was planning to impose 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. Trump added that these plans may be effective from February 1.

“We’re thinking in terms of 25 per cent on Mexico and Canada, because they're allowing vast numbers of people – Canada's a very bad abuser also – vast numbers of people to come in, and fentanyl to come in. I think we'll do it on February 1,” the US president told reporters in the Oval Office after his inauguration on Monday (Jan 20).

Canada ‘ready for everything’

During a special cabinet meeting in Montebello, Quebec, Trudeau said that he was unfazed by Trump’s plans, saying he expects a great deal of “uncertainty” when dealing with this president.

“We've been here before,” he said. The Canadian PM added that Trump is a skilled negotiator who will “do what he can to keep his negotiating partners a little off balance.”

Trudeau further said that Canada is a good negotiator too and is ‘willing to inflict economic pain on the US to get Trump to back down’.

While Canada’s priority is to prevent any tariffs altogether and build a “very positive relationship with the US,” the country will not allow it to be rolled over by Trump’s threats, Trudeau said.

On Trump’s remarks that the US does not need anything from Canada, Trudeau said that if the new president really wants to usher in a “golden age of America” as he said in his inaugural speech, he will need critical natural resources from Canada. This gives Canada some leverage, according to Trudeau.

Amid the threats, Trudeau said that Ottawa is prepared to enact severe measures, including a possible oil export ban, if other efforts don’t work.

Watch | Justin Trudeau vows Canada will respond to Trump’s tariffs

“Everything is on the table, and I support the principle of dollar-for-dollar matching tariffs,” Trudeau said. “It's something we're absolutely going to be looking at if they move forward.”

“We are prepared for every possible scenario,” the Canadian PM asserted.

(With inputs from agencies)