Beginning on March 4, Donald Trump has made the decision to proceed with imposing tariffs on both nations. Furthermore, as of April 2, reciprocal tariffs will remain in full effect.
Ottawa: In a warning about the possibility of US tariffs, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that “Canada will have an immediate and extremely strong response,” according to CBC News.
“We will continue to do that work and do everything necessary to avoid these tariffs coming in, but like I said, if on Tuesday there are unjustified tariffs brought in on Canada, we will have an immediate and extremely strong response, as Canadians expect,” Trudeau stated.
In addition, Trudeau stated that, “the first thing on tariffs is to emphasise that our government, and indeed all of Team Canada, premiers, business leaders, community leaders, are focused on one thing, making sure that come Tuesday and for the weeks that follow, there are no tariffs imposed on Canada,” according to the CBC.
The president’s proposed tariffs for next week are focused on the fentanyl problem that both the United States and Canada are dealing with,” he continued.
“And for months now, I’ve been emphasizing that less than one percent of the fentanyl that arrives in the United States comes from Canada,” he stated in response to concerns over fentanyl trafficking into the country. However, we have committed USD 1.3 billion to increase our border capabilities, including drones, Blackhawk helicopters, and 10,000 personnel to police our borders and ensure the safety of Americans and Canadians. We realize that even that 1%, or less than 1%, should be decreased.
And that the United States’ issues are not coming from Canada,” he continued.
In the meantime, the US president announced on February 4 that he had obtained fresh pledges from both nations to strengthen border security, and he halted import duties on both for 30 days. President Trump claimed to have spoken with his colleagues from Canada and Mexico, which prompted the halt.
“Unacceptably high amounts of drugs continue to enter our nation from Canada and Mexico. China manufactures and supplies a significant portion of these drugs, including fentanyl. “The distribution of these highly addictive and dangerous poisons caused over 100,000 deaths last year,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump has pledged to halt or “seriously limit” the flow of drugs, particularly fentanyl, across the border.
“During the past 20 years, millions of people have perished. The victims’ families are inconsolable and, in many cases, all but decimated. We can’t let this plague continue to hurt the United States, so until it stops or is significantly curbed, the proposed tariffs that are set to take effect on March 4 will, in fact, take effect on that day,” Trump wrote in his article.
Additionally, starting on March 4, China will be subject to an additional 10% tariff.
