‘We Have Fought And Died Alongside You’: Trudeau Responds to Trump Tariffs By Invoking WWII, 9/11
Canadian prime minister responds to new levies on Canadian goods and services
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to Donald Trump’s decision to slap new tariffs on goods and services from Canada, by invoking the longtime peaceful and allied relationship across the northern border of the United States.
Trump over the weekend imposed 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, as well well as a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China. He subsequently announced a month-long pause on the tariffs for Mexico.
Trump’s tariffs are expected to raise the prices for the things Americans purchase from the targeted countries, and Canada’s Trudeau made clear his displeasure with the Trump decision.
Trump has been bellicose towards Canada since his election in November, even repeatedly suggesting that Canada join the United States as “the 51st state.”
Trudeau also responded to Trump’s tariffs with tariffs of his own, responding to the US trade action with 25 percent tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods.
This will include immediate tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods as of Tuesday, followed by further tariffs on $125 billion worth of American products in 21 days’ time to allow Canadian companies and supply chains to seek to find alternatives, he said.
“From the beaches of Normandy, to the mountains of the Korean Peninsula, from the fields of Flanders to the streets of Kandahar, we have fought and died alongside you,” Trudeau told Americans. “During your darkest hours, during the Iranian hostage crisis — those 444 days we worked around the clock from our embassy to get your innocent compatriots home. During the summer of 2005, when Hurricane Katrina ravaged your great city of New Orleans, or mere weeks ago, when we sent water bombers to tackle the wildfires in California.
“During the day, the world stood still — September 11, 2001, when we provided refuge to stranded passengers and planes. We were always there — standing with you, grieving with you — the American people,” he added. “Together, we’ve built the most successful economic, military, and security partnership the world has ever seen. A relationship that has been the envy of the world.
“Yes, we’ve had our differences in the past, but we’ve always found a way to get past them. As I’ve said before, if President Trump wants to usher in a new golden age for the United States, the better path is to partner with Canada, not to punish us.”
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