Canadian premiers urge strong response to US planned tariffs

13/12/2024 6:15

Some Canadian premiers are urging

Ottawa to respond robustly to the threat of tariffs from

incoming U.S. President Donald Trump and have highlighted

critical minerals and metals as products the United States

relies on, Canada's finance minister said on Wednesday.



Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other government

ministers met with provincial premiers to discuss Trump's pledge

to impose steep tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports after he

is sworn in as president in January.



That pledge has raised fears of a trade war between the

United States and two of its biggest trading partners.



"A number of premiers offered strong support for a robust

Canadian response that included some of the premiers proactively

naming critical minerals and metals that their provinces

produce, and which are exported to the United States," Finance

Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters after the meeting.



Canada's emphasis right now is on reaching out to U.S.

officials, Freeland said, adding that Canadian business and

labor leaders are also getting in touch with their U.S.

counterparts.



Ontario Premier Doug Ford said energy exports to the

United States could also be halted, without giving details.



On Thursday he said he was speaking only for his

province, which does not produce any of the 4 million barrels

per day of oil that Canada ships south of the border, but does

provide electricity for 1.5 million U.S. homes.



He said the premiers would meet again from Sunday to

Tuesday to discuss potential responses.



Trudeau on Monday said Canada would respond to unfair

tariffs, as it did during the last Trump presidency when Ottawa

added tariffs to goods including bourbon, Harley Davidson

motorcycles and cherries.



Trump has said he will keep protectionist trade measures in

place until Canada and Mexico clamp down on drugs and migrants

crossing the borders into the United States.



The federal government also discussed planned border

security measures with the premiers, said Minister of Public

Safety Dominic LeBlanc, adding that Canada would next share

those details with Trump's team once they are finalized.