Canada will not back down from trade war with US, says Trudeau

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed that Canada will not back down from the trade war initiated by US President Donald Trump.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Trudeau stated that there is “no justification” for the trade conflict between Canada and the US, adding that his government will challenge Trump’s aggressive tariff measures, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The US has launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally,” Trudeau said, emphasizing Canada’s strong retaliation.

In response, Canada has imposed an initial 30 billion Canadian dollars ($21 billion) in tariffs on US goods, with plans to add another 125 billion Canadian dollars in the next 21 days.

Trudeau warned that American families and President Trump will soon feel the economic damage caused by the tariffs. Addressing Trump directly, he said, “This is a very dumb thing to do.”

He accused Trump of attempting to “see a complete collapse of the Canadian economy,” suggesting the US President’s ultimate goal might be to annex Canada. “That is never going to happen,” Trudeau asserted.

Trudeau also dismissed Trump’s claim that the tariffs were necessary due to fentanyl trafficking across the Canadian border, calling it an “unjustified and false excuse.”

In an effort to address US concerns, Canada recently appointed a new “fentanyl czar” and designated Mexican cartels as terrorist groups.

The trade dispute escalated after Trump signed an executive order on February 1, imposing a 25% tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, with a 10% tariff increase specifically targeting Canadian energy products. On February 3, Trump temporarily deferred the new tariffs for one month to allow negotiations, but he confirmed on Monday that the 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada would take effect on March 4.