Canada to make robust response to proposed U.S. tariffs

14/12/2024 13:57

Canada will make a robust response if President-elect Donald Trump imposes steep tariffs on Canadian goods, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Friday.



"In the event that the United States were to impose unjustified tariffs on Canada, of course we would respond. The Canadian response would necessarily be robust. I am confident that it would be effective," Freeland said.



Freeland, who is leading the cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations, said Canada's previous experience with tariffs during Trump's first term in office led to a great outcome.



Trump triggered a nearly yearlong trade war in 2018, imposing a 25 percent tariff on Canadian steel products and a 10 percent one on Canadian aluminum. In response, Canada introduced a 25 percent counter tariff on a long list of American steel and aluminum products, along with a 10 percent surtax on miscellaneous U.S. goods including coffee, prepared meals and maple syrup. Those retaliatory levies were eventually lifted in 2019 after Canada, the United States and Mexico reached a deal.