Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has accused US president Donald Trump of trying to appease Russia while launching a trade war against Canada.
In a blunt news conference during his final days in office, Mr Trudeau said Canada would plaster retaliatory tariffs on more than 100 billion dollars of American goods in response to Mr Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs.
“Today the United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same, they are talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” Mr Trudeau said.
Mr Trump on Tuesday imposed tariffs against Washington’s three biggest trading partners, drawing immediate retaliation from Mexico, Canada and China and sending financial markets into a tailspin. He put 25 per cent taxes, or tariffs, on Mexican and Canadian imports, though he limited the levy to 10 per cent on Canadian energy.
“What he wants to see is a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us,” Mr Trudeau said. “That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state.”
Later on Tuesday, US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick said the Trump administration could announce a pathway for tariff relief on Canadian and Mexican goods as soon as Wednesday.
He said representatives of the two countries were on the phone to him “trying to show that they’ll do better, and the president’s listening, because you know he’s very, very fair and very reasonable”, he said in an interview with Fox Business.
“I think he’s going to work something out with them. It’s not going to be a pause, none of that pause stuff, but I think he’s going to figure out: you do more and I’ll meet you in the middle some way and we’re going to probably announcing that tomorrow,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Trudeau said: “I want to speak directly to one specific American, Donald.”
“It’s not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal, but Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do.”
Mr Trudeau also addressed the American public, saying Canada does not want this trade war but Mr Trump has chosen to do this to them.
“How do Americans feel about jettisoning ones friends and allies in favour of a country that has never wished Americans well and continues to act in ways that harm the global economy and specifically the American economy and American values and principles,” Mr Trudeau said of Russia.
Mr Trudeau mused about Mr Trump’s aims.
“He said a number of times that his goal is to ruin the Canadian economy, so that he can move on to annex the country. That’s what he wants,” Mr Trudeau said.
Mr Trudeau said that will never happen.
“Let us not fool ourselves about what he seems to be wanting,” Mr Trudeau said. “We will never be the 51st state.”
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said: “Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the US, our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!”
Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, said he would issue a 25 per cent export tax on electricity sold to the US and may later cut it off completely if the American tariffs persist.
Ontario powered 1.5 million homes in the US in 2023 in Michigan, New York and Minnesota. -AP/ Bloomberg
