‘This Is a Very Dumb Thing To Do’: Trudeau Goes Hard On Trump As Trade War Begins
Canada responds with tariffs of its own
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau minced no words Tuesday, as Donald Trump’s big, 25 percent tariffs took effect on goods and services that his country exports to the United States.
Trudeau not only took Trump to task, but he also announced a dual-pronged response which he said would include Canada imposing its own tariffs and challenging the legality of Trump’s duties at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
After delaying the implementation of his planned tariffs for a month, Trump let them go into effect this week, likely raising the prices on a variety of products and services on which Americans have come to rely.
Trudeau’s tough stance is in keeping with his position since Trump took office in January and the US president repeatedly said that he wants the sovereign nation of Canada to become “the 51st state.”
“So, today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same time, they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” Trudeau said, referring to the recent tantrum Trump and Vice President JD Vance threw at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Canadians are reasonable, and we are polite, but we will not back down from a fight, not when our country and the well-being of everyone in it is at stake.”
Trudeau outlined the Canadian response, which has already begun, the prime minister said.
“At the moment, the U.S. tariffs came into effect in the early hours of this morning, and so did the Canadian response,” he said. “Canada will be implementing 25 percent tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods, starting with tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods immediately and tariffs on the remaining $125 billion of American products in 21 days’ time.”
Canada also will take the case of Trump’s tariffs to the WTO, the international body which regulates and facilitates global trade.
“Today, we will also be challenging these illegal actions by filing dispute resolution claims at the World Trade Organization and through the USMCA,” Trudeau said, referring to the North American trade agreement negotiated during Trump’s first term in office. “But in the meantime, our tariffs will remain in place until the U.S. tariffs are withdrawn, and not a moment sooner. And should these tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures, measures which will demonstrate that there are no winners in a trade war.”
Trudeau also spoke directly to Trump.
“Now I want to speak directly to one specific American,” he said. “Donald, in the over eight years you and I have worked together, we’ve done big things. We signed a historic deal that has created record jobs and growth in both of our countries. We’ve done big things together on the world stage, as Canada and the U.S. have done together for decades, for generations. And now we should be working together to ensure even greater prosperity for North Americans in a very uncertain and challenging world.
“Now, it’s not in my habit to agree with The Wall Street Journal, but, Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do,” he added. “We, two friends, fighting is exactly what our opponents around the world want to see.”
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