Canada’s prime minister says the US president wants to usher in the ‘complete collapse’ of the Canadian economy
Justin Trudeau has claimed the aim of a “dumb” trade war launched by Donald Trump is to usher in the “complete collapse” of the Canadian economy and make it easier for the United States to annex Canada.
Speaking hours after the US slapped 25% taxes on Canadian and Mexican goods – and a 10% levy on Canadian energy exports – the prime minister announced retaliatory tariffs on US exports and said his country would remain defiant against the aggression.
“We’ve been in tough spots before … but we have not only survived, we have emerged stronger than ever, because when it comes to defending our great nation, there is no price we all aren’t willing to pay, and today is no different,” he said.
Trudeau, who will step down as prime minister after the ruling Liberal party chooses a new leader on Sunday, said the spat between allies is “exactly what our opponents around the world want to see”.
“Today the United States launched a trade war against Canada,” he said. At the same time, the Trump administration was “talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, aligning with a murderous dictator”.
Trudeau also rejected Trump’s repeated taunts that Canada should cede its sovereignty and join the US: “That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state.”
Canada’s retaliatory response includes matching tariffs on C$155bn (US$107bn) worth of US goods. The first tranche of taxes applies to C$30bn worth of goods and the remaining C$125bn would kick in within 21 days, giving Canadian companies the chance to amend supply chains.
