- cross-posted to:
- politics@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- politics@lemmy.world
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on unjustified U.S. tariffs against Canada:
“Today, after a 30-day pause, the United States administration has decided to proceed with imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports and 10 per cent tariffs on Canadian energy. Let me be unequivocally clear – there is no justification for these actions.
“While less than 1 per cent of the fentanyl intercepted at the U.S. border comes from Canada, we have worked relentlessly to address this scourge that affects Canadians and Americans alike. We implemented a $1.3 billion border plan with new choppers, boots on the ground, more co-ordination, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. We appointed a Fentanyl Czar, listed transnational criminal cartels as terrorist organizations, launched the Joint Operational Intelligence Cell, and are establishing a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force on organized crime. Because of this work – in partnership with the United States – fentanyl seizures from Canada have dropped 97 per cent between December 2024 and January 2025 to a near-zero low of 0.03 pounds seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Canada will not let this unjustified decision go unanswered. Should American tariffs come into effect tonight, Canada will, effective 12:01 a.m. EST tomorrow, respond with 25 per cent tariffs against $155 billion of American goods – starting with tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods immediately, and tariffs on the remaining $125 billion on American products in 21 days’ time. Our tariffs will remain in place until the U.S. trade action is withdrawn, and should U.S. tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures. While we urge the U.S. administration to reconsider their tariffs, Canada remains firm in standing up for our economy, our jobs, our workers, and for a fair deal.
“Because of the tariffs imposed by the U.S., Americans will pay more for groceries, gas, and cars, and potentially lose thousands of jobs. Tariffs will disrupt an incredibly successful trading relationship. They will violate the very trade agreement that was negotiated by President Trump in his last term.”
I really wish they would stop phrasing it as if the tariffs are against countries. They are against the people of the country imposing the tariffs, in this case the US. And it just continues the false perception that China, Canada, etc are paying. I’m really disappointed that Canada is imposing tariffs on its people in retaliation. A better response would have been to launch a massive publicity campaign to encourage Canadians to boycott American products; maybe post en masse what products are from which countries. That seemed to be gaining traction in Canada without the campaign.
Yes I do know that tariffs CAN negatively impact the county the tariff is imposed on, but face it, you can impose a 100% tariff on China and they can still undersell our products at half the cost and if they can’t, the Chinese government can just subsidize that product.
Politically an effort to be strong-armed must be answered in terms that the aggressor will perceive as strong. A call for a voluntary boycott will not cut it. It will also not be as effective at reducing reliance on US which Canada probably actually needs.
Agree to disagree. Taxing your own people in response is just as stupid as taxing your people to start with. It just reassures my belief that none of these politicians care about their people.
Is your issue with tariffs vs voluntary boycott the removal of choice from the individual?
As I said, my issue is it rarely affects the targeted country, but ALWAYS affects the targeting country since it’s THAT country that pays the tariff. It’s literally a tax imposed on citizens in hopes that it will cause them to stop buying a product from another country.
I’m the case of the US, we hardly make anything, so people just have to pay more. China doesn’t play fair so they can just subsidize the companies that make our products. Plus many of their products cost so much less than ours you can pay extra and still save money over buying American.
The last time Trump was president he imposed tariffs on washing machines, making them more expensive than foreign machines. What happened? American companies raised the price of their machines to match, negating any benefit of the tariff. I’m addition they raised the price of dryers, which people often buy at the same time.
Are you talking about prices in the USA? I am asking why you prefer a boycott by Canadians instead of Canadian sanctions which would raise the prices in Canada. But if you are for a boycott the price as set by tariffs is irrelevant if it’s not bought anyways.