BBC Information, Toronto and London
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canada, calling it a “very dumb factor to do” and vowed to conduct a “relentless struggle” to guard its financial system.
Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on merchandise coming into the US from Canada and Mexico, and has elevated a levy on items coming from China.
The Canadian prime minister introduced retaliatory tariffs on US exports and warned {that a} commerce warfare can be expensive for each international locations.
However Trump pushed even additional in a submit on Reality Social, saying: “Please clarify to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he places on a Retaliatory Tariff on the U.S., our Reciprocal Tariff will instantly enhance by a like quantity!”
Trudeau accused the US president of planning “a complete collapse of the Canadian financial system as a result of that can make it simpler to annex us”.
“That’s by no means going to occur. We are going to by no means be the 51st state,” he instructed reporters on Tuesday.
“This can be a time to hit again laborious and to exhibit {that a} struggle with Canada can have no winners.”
He mentioned that Canada’s primary aim stays to get the tariffs lifted in order that they “do not final a second longer than obligatory”.
Trump mentioned he’s defending US jobs and manufacturing, and making an attempt to stop unlawful migration and drug trafficking. The US president mentioned his aim is to clamp down on the highly effective opioid fentanyl; he has variously blamed the opposite international locations for the drug’s arrival within the US.
Responding to the accusations, Trudeau mentioned on Tuesday there was “no justification” for the brand new tariffs, as a result of lower than 1% of the fentanyl intercepted on the US border comes from Canada.
Trudeau’s phrases had been echoed by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who mentioned there was “no motive, no cause, no justification” for Trump’s transfer. Talking on Tuesday, she too vowed to problem her personal “tariff and non-tariff measures” – however mentioned additional particulars can be given on Sunday.
Trump’s tariffs are more likely to push up costs for shoppers within the US and overseas, mentioned John Rogers, an economics professor at American Worldwide College.
The gadgets almost definitely to be affected the soonest are meals – the fruits, greens and different produce the US imports from Mexico – adopted by the big quantities of oil and gasoline imported from Canada, Prof Rogers mentioned.
“Costs may go up fairly quickly”, Prof Rogers warned, although he was reluctant to say by precisely how a lot or how shortly.
“We’re in fairly uncharted territory,” he instructed the BBC.
The larger concern for prof Rogers was the potential injury he mentioned was being accomplished to America’s longstanding commerce companions.
“That is form of sticking your finger within the eye of your neighbour,” he mentioned, including that, in a possible US-Canada-Mexico commerce warfare, “all people is a loser”.
The three international locations focused are America’s prime buying and selling companions, and the tit-for-tat measures additionally prompted fears of that very commerce warfare.
“There is not any means you may win a commerce warfare. Everyone suffers, as a result of all people’s simply going to wind up paying larger costs and sacrificing high quality,” Prof Rogers mentioned.
Tariffs are a tax on imports from different international locations, designed to guard in opposition to cheaper competitors from elsewhere, and increase companies and jobs at dwelling.
Canada’s retaliatory measures embrace a 25% reciprocal tariff that can be imposed on C$155bn (US$107bn; £84bn) of American items:
- A tariff on C$30bn value of products will turn into efficient instantly
- Tariffs on the remaining C$125bn of American merchandise will turn into efficient in 21 days’ time
Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller warned that as many as one million jobs in Canada had been in danger if the tariffs had been carried out, given how intertwined commerce was between the 2 international locations.
“We will not exchange an financial system that’s liable for 80% of our commerce in a single day and it is going to harm,” he mentioned on Monday.
Chatting with the AFP information company, a automobile manufacturing worker within the Canadian province of Ontario mentioned folks had been certainly “fairly scared” of being laid off. “I simply purchased my first home,” Joel Soleski mentioned. “I may need to search for work elsewhere.”
The sector is one which might be badly affected by the brand new tariffs regime in North America. Automobile elements could cross US-Canada border a number of instances through the manufacturing course of, and so may be taxed on a number of events.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province is dwelling to Canada’s auto manufacturing business, instructed reporters on Tuesday that he anticipates meeting vegetation will “shut down on either side of the border” because of the tariffs.

The tariffs had been referred to as “reckless” by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, whose president Candace Laing cautioned that the transfer would drive each Canada and the US in the direction of “recession, job losses and financial catastrophe”.
Ms Laing warned they’d additionally enhance costs for Individuals, and drive US companies to seek out alternate suppliers that she mentioned “are much less dependable than Canadian ones”.
Canadian provincial leaders have vowed their very own responses.
Ford of Ontario mooted the potential for reducing off Canadian electrical energy provides and exports of high-grade nickel to the US, in addition to placing an export levy of 25% on electrical energy despatched to energy houses in Michigan, New York and Minnesota.
Canada exports sufficient electrical energy to energy some six million American houses.
Ontario and different provinces have additionally moved to take away US-made liquor off their cabinets. In Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston mentioned his province will ban American firms from bidding on provincial contracts, as will Ontario.
Ford additionally introduced {that a} C$100m ($68m; £55.1) contract with Elon Musk’s satellite tv for pc web firm Starlink can be cancelled.
In the meantime China – which now faces tariffs of 20% after Trump doubled an earlier levy – has vowed to struggle any commerce warfare to the “bitter finish”. It has introduced its personal counter-measures – together with tariffs on a variety of US agricultural and meals merchandise.
BBC Information, Toronto and London
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canada, calling it a “very dumb factor to do” and vowed to conduct a “relentless struggle” to guard its financial system.
Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on merchandise coming into the US from Canada and Mexico, and has elevated a levy on items coming from China.
The Canadian prime minister introduced retaliatory tariffs on US exports and warned {that a} commerce warfare can be expensive for each international locations.
However Trump pushed even additional in a submit on Reality Social, saying: “Please clarify to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he places on a Retaliatory Tariff on the U.S., our Reciprocal Tariff will instantly enhance by a like quantity!”
Trudeau accused the US president of planning “a complete collapse of the Canadian financial system as a result of that can make it simpler to annex us”.
“That’s by no means going to occur. We are going to by no means be the 51st state,” he instructed reporters on Tuesday.
“This can be a time to hit again laborious and to exhibit {that a} struggle with Canada can have no winners.”
He mentioned that Canada’s primary aim stays to get the tariffs lifted in order that they “do not final a second longer than obligatory”.
Trump mentioned he’s defending US jobs and manufacturing, and making an attempt to stop unlawful migration and drug trafficking. The US president mentioned his aim is to clamp down on the highly effective opioid fentanyl; he has variously blamed the opposite international locations for the drug’s arrival within the US.
Responding to the accusations, Trudeau mentioned on Tuesday there was “no justification” for the brand new tariffs, as a result of lower than 1% of the fentanyl intercepted on the US border comes from Canada.
Trudeau’s phrases had been echoed by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who mentioned there was “no motive, no cause, no justification” for Trump’s transfer. Talking on Tuesday, she too vowed to problem her personal “tariff and non-tariff measures” – however mentioned additional particulars can be given on Sunday.
Trump’s tariffs are more likely to push up costs for shoppers within the US and overseas, mentioned John Rogers, an economics professor at American Worldwide College.
The gadgets almost definitely to be affected the soonest are meals – the fruits, greens and different produce the US imports from Mexico – adopted by the big quantities of oil and gasoline imported from Canada, Prof Rogers mentioned.
“Costs may go up fairly quickly”, Prof Rogers warned, although he was reluctant to say by precisely how a lot or how shortly.
“We’re in fairly uncharted territory,” he instructed the BBC.
The larger concern for prof Rogers was the potential injury he mentioned was being accomplished to America’s longstanding commerce companions.
“That is form of sticking your finger within the eye of your neighbour,” he mentioned, including that, in a possible US-Canada-Mexico commerce warfare, “all people is a loser”.
The three international locations focused are America’s prime buying and selling companions, and the tit-for-tat measures additionally prompted fears of that very commerce warfare.
“There is not any means you may win a commerce warfare. Everyone suffers, as a result of all people’s simply going to wind up paying larger costs and sacrificing high quality,” Prof Rogers mentioned.
Tariffs are a tax on imports from different international locations, designed to guard in opposition to cheaper competitors from elsewhere, and increase companies and jobs at dwelling.
Canada’s retaliatory measures embrace a 25% reciprocal tariff that can be imposed on C$155bn (US$107bn; £84bn) of American items:
- A tariff on C$30bn value of products will turn into efficient instantly
- Tariffs on the remaining C$125bn of American merchandise will turn into efficient in 21 days’ time
Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller warned that as many as one million jobs in Canada had been in danger if the tariffs had been carried out, given how intertwined commerce was between the 2 international locations.
“We will not exchange an financial system that’s liable for 80% of our commerce in a single day and it is going to harm,” he mentioned on Monday.
Chatting with the AFP information company, a automobile manufacturing worker within the Canadian province of Ontario mentioned folks had been certainly “fairly scared” of being laid off. “I simply purchased my first home,” Joel Soleski mentioned. “I may need to search for work elsewhere.”
The sector is one which might be badly affected by the brand new tariffs regime in North America. Automobile elements could cross US-Canada border a number of instances through the manufacturing course of, and so may be taxed on a number of events.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province is dwelling to Canada’s auto manufacturing business, instructed reporters on Tuesday that he anticipates meeting vegetation will “shut down on either side of the border” because of the tariffs.

The tariffs had been referred to as “reckless” by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, whose president Candace Laing cautioned that the transfer would drive each Canada and the US in the direction of “recession, job losses and financial catastrophe”.
Ms Laing warned they’d additionally enhance costs for Individuals, and drive US companies to seek out alternate suppliers that she mentioned “are much less dependable than Canadian ones”.
Canadian provincial leaders have vowed their very own responses.
Ford of Ontario mooted the potential for reducing off Canadian electrical energy provides and exports of high-grade nickel to the US, in addition to placing an export levy of 25% on electrical energy despatched to energy houses in Michigan, New York and Minnesota.
Canada exports sufficient electrical energy to energy some six million American houses.
Ontario and different provinces have additionally moved to take away US-made liquor off their cabinets. In Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston mentioned his province will ban American firms from bidding on provincial contracts, as will Ontario.
Ford additionally introduced {that a} C$100m ($68m; £55.1) contract with Elon Musk’s satellite tv for pc web firm Starlink can be cancelled.
In the meantime China – which now faces tariffs of 20% after Trump doubled an earlier levy – has vowed to struggle any commerce warfare to the “bitter finish”. It has introduced its personal counter-measures – together with tariffs on a variety of US agricultural and meals merchandise.