Trudeau will meet with the prime minister as Trump threatens heavy tariffs on Canadian goods
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has agreed to meet with his provincial and territorial counterparts after Donald Trump threatened to impose steep tariffs on Canadian goods.
The US president-elect said Monday night on his first day back in the White House, he will impose a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday morning, Trudeau said he plans to meet with Canadian prime ministers “this week” to discuss how to deal with Canada’s relationship with the US.
“This is a relationship that we know takes a certain amount of work, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Trudeau said before entering a meeting with his cabinet.
“One of the most important things is that we all work together on this. The Team Canada approach is the one that works.”
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office later said the virtual meeting would be held on Wednesday evening.
The premiers wrote to Trudeau on Monday before the latest tax threat, asking for an emergency meeting to discuss Ottawa’s handling of the incoming administration.
After US president-elect Donald Trump threatened to slap a 25 percent tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had a phone call with Trump in which he laid out the ‘truths’ about Canada’s relationship with the US. Trudeau also said he reached out to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and that there will be a first ministerial meeting this week.
Trudeau spoke with Trump on the phone Monday evening after the president-elect made his tax pledge. The prime minister said on Tuesday morning that the two “had a good phone call.”
“Obviously we talked about … how strong and effective communication between our two countries goes back and forth, we talked about some of the challenges that we can work on together,” Trudeau told reporters.
Trudeau also spoke with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault on Monday evening.
“As we look to welcome the incoming US administration, it is important that we act now to work together and seize this opportunity to grow and strengthen our historic relationship with the US,” the prime minister’s letter reads.
Forecasters have been trying to predict how a second Trump term will affect the Canadian economy. Various estimates have pegged the potential damage to Canada at anywhere from less than half a point of GDP to a devastating five percent.
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