Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada continues amid the rising tensions between the two countries
Mark Carney, the newly installed prime minster of Canada, has a defiant message for President Donald Trump following recent tariff developments between the two countries.
Since President Trump reclaimed office in January, tensions between the U.S. and its neighboring countries have soared to levels never seen before.
Last month, Trump dropped a bombshell announcement: he would be imposing a hefty 25% tax on imported vehicles and vehicle parts covered under the ‘United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement,’ declaring, “This is permanent.” But that wasn’t all—he also slapped a 25% tariff on Canadian goods, adding to the already steep duties on steel and aluminum imports. In a bold move, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce fired back, warning that “the fallout from this escalating tariff war will reverberate far beyond Canada’s borders, despite the U.S. administration’s claims to the contrary.”
“Throwing away tens of thousands of jobs on both sides of the border threatens to end North America’s dominance in the auto industry, pushing companies to build and hire anywhere but here. This tax hike risks the livelihoods of workers and plants for generations to come, if not permanently.” Canada fired back, implementing $20.7 billion ($29.8 billion CAD) in tariffs on U.S. goods, effective March 13.
It’s clear Canada isn’t backing down. On April 5, Prime Minister Carney sent a strong message to President Trump, declaring, “We will win” in the trade war with the U.S.
Carney emphasized, “In this trade war, just like in hockey and soccer, we will win. We didn’t start this fight, but Canadians are always ready when someone drops the gloves.”
This marks a stark shift in Carney’s stance, having previously stated that Canada’s old relationship with the U.S. is now ‘over,’ following a period of close ties between the two nations.
“The U.S. president is trying to fundamentally restructure not only his economy but ours and the global economy as well,” Carney remarked earlier.
“I understand and respect his desire to support American workers, but I disagree with his approach to achieving that goal.”
Carney passionately rejected any attempts to undermine Canada, stating, “I reject any efforts to weaken Canada, to wear us down, to break us so that America can dominate us. That will never happen.”
He continued, “Our response to these tariffs is clear: we will fight, we will protect, and we will build.”
Carney vowed that Canada would counter the U.S. tariffs with retaliatory actions aimed at creating maximum impact in the United States while minimizing harm to Canada. “We will not consider removing these tariffs until the U.S. shows us the respect we deserve.”
But Canada isn’t standing alone. Following Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ announcement on April 2, China also retaliated against the 54% tariff, raising their own U.S. tariff to 34%. The global trade conflict continues to escalate.
