Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached for a sales pitch instead of revealing any of his cards in his first public reply to U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Canadian imports could face heavy tariffs as early as next week.
Trudeau insisted Tuesday that if Trump wants to usher in what he’s called a “golden age” for the United States, he’ll need the energy, critical minerals and resources that Canada is ready to provide.
While Trump had been threatening to impose punishing tariffs on Canada on his first day in office, he opted instead on inauguration day to announce a plan to study alleged unfair trade practices.
The president signed an executive order directing that the study be completed by April 1. But late Monday evening, Trump mused about giving the Canadian and Mexican economies a black eye with damaging tariffs on Feb. 1.
Trudeau has pushed back on Trump’s claim, saying less than 1% of the fentanyl and migrants entering the U.S. come from Canada. He also boasted about the $1.3 billion his Liberal government has pumped into border security to appease Trump.
The prime minister said his government’s focus is still on avoiding tariffs. If that effort doesn’t succeed, he said, Canada will respond and “everything is on the table.”
“Our response will be robust and rapid and measured, but very strong. The goal will be to get those tariffs off as quickly as possible,” Trudeau said.