Trudeau to meet with premiers as Trump threatens hefty tariffs on Canadian goods
Premiers wrote to prime minister on Monday asking for urgent meeting to discuss Canada-U.S. relations
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's agreed to meet with his provincial and territorial counterparts after Donald Trump threatened to impose hefty tariffs on Canadian goods.
The U.S. president-elect said Monday night that on his first day back in the White House, he would impose a 25 per cent tax on all goods imported from Canada and Mexico.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday morning, Trudeau said he plans to meet with Canada's premiers "this week" to discuss how to approach the Canada-U.S. relationship.
"This is a relationship that we know takes a certain amount of working on, and that's what we'll do," Trudeau said before heading into a meeting with his cabinet.
"One of the really important things is that we be all pulling together on this. The Team Canada approach is what works."
A spokesperson from the Prime Minister's Office later said a virtual meeting will be held Wednesday evening.
The premiers wrote to Trudeau on Monday, prior to the latest tariff threat, to ask for an urgent meeting to discuss Ottawa's approach to the incoming administration.
"As we look to welcome the incoming U.S. administration, it is important that we act now to work together and seize this opportunity to grow and strengthen our historic partnership with the U.S.," the premiers' letter reads.
Trump said the 25 per cent tariff was due to his concerns about the borders with both Canada and Mexico.
"This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!" Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
"Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!"
Trudeau spoke with Trump on the phone on Monday evening after the president-elect made his tariff promise. The prime minister said Tuesday morning that the two had a "good call."
"We obviously talked about … how the intense and effective connections between our two countries flow back and forth. We talked about some of the challenges we can work on together," Trudeau told reporters.
The two leaders talked for about 10 minutes on Monday evening and primarily discussed trade and border security, according to a government source with knowledge of the phone call. Trudeau pointed out that the number of migrants who cross from Canada to the U.S. is a tiny fraction of those who cross from Mexico, the source said.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller told reporters Tuesday morning that the yearly flow of migrants into the U.S. from Canada is the equivalent of a "significant weekend at the Mexico border."
"At the same time … it is serious and we have a job not to make our problems the Americans' problems and they have a job not to make their problems ours," he said.
Miller said that the government is considering "a number of measures" to address Trump's concerns about the border, but didn't go into specifics.
Poilievre says he would retaliate 'if necessary'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poileivre said Trump issued an "unjustified threat." He also accused Trudeau and his government of being caught off guard by the threat.
"We need a plan, a plan to put Canada first," he told reporters in Ottawa.
Poilievre said the government needs to cut the carbon tax and ditch the planned cap on emissions to ensure the economy can withstand the tariffs.
"We've been fantasizing for the last nine years and look where it has got us," he said.
"[What] we actually need to do is stand up for our economy by axing taxes, unleashing free enterprise, having a massive boom in our energy and resource production and standing up for our country against unfair tariffs."
When asked if he would retaliate against Trump's tariffs if he were prime minister, Poilievre said he would "if necessary."
At a scrum later on Tuesday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said "every tool should be on the table" to respond to Trump's threats, including retaliatory tariffs, a legal challenge under CUSMA (the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement) and the establishment of a cabinet-level war room to protect Canadian jobs.
"What Trump is proposing is economic bullying," Singh said. "If he says something, we've got to be ready for it, and we should prepare our case. We should be ready to fight back."
The House of Commons will hold an emergency debate Tuesday night about Trump's promised tariffs. The debate was requested by both the Conservatives and NDP.
Trudeau also spoke to Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault on Monday evening.
Ford said Tuesday morning that he was "shocked" by Trump's declaration and that it was "insulting" that he compared Canada to Mexico.
"We're the closest allies the Americans have," Ford told reporters during a press conference.
"You ask any American … if they feel Canada is a threat. The answer is no. Can we do a better job? Do we need to do a better job on our borders? One thousand per cent."
Ford said he wants to hear from Trudeau to ensure he has a "strong plan to protect and secure our borders and make sure we address the threat from the U.S."
Ford said he expects Canada to retaliate with its own tariffs if Trump follows through on his promise.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Tuesday that Ottawa needs to focus on addressing Trump's concerns about border security and drug trafficking.
"We've got to have strong border security and we have to bring the hammer down on drug trafficking," he said at a conference hosted by municipal leaders.
Kinew said that he wants the government to hire more RCMP officers and invest in new technology that can help intercept drug smugglers at the border.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc told reporters Tuesday that the government is looking into adding additional resources — including helicopters and drones — to federal security agencies to boost border security.
"We totally understand the American concern around the security and integrity of the border. It's a concern that obviously Canadians share," LeBlanc said.
"For decades this collaborative work — happening literally daily — with American authorities and Canadian authorities has allowed us to keep both countries safe."
Forecasters have been attempting to predict how a second Trump term will affect Canada's economy. Various projections have pegged the potential damage to Canada at anywhere from less than a half-point of GDP to a devastating five per cent.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the federal government has been preparing for a Trump presidency for some time.
"We have to take [the tariff threat] seriously, there's no doubt. On the other hand, I would say the preparation that we've done will be material in our discussions," he told reporters Tuesday morning.
"Trump is not president for two months, so we still have a number of weeks to engage."
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With files from Katie Simpson
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