Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa will be ready with a “forceful and immediate response” if the Donald Trump administration goes ahead with the implementation of 25% tariffs, reports the Hindustan Times.
“We’re working hard to prevent these tariffs, but if the United States moves ahead, Canada’s ready with a forceful and immediate response,” Trudeau said, in a post on X.
Trump reiterated the tariff threat on Friday, eve of the date he said earlier they will go into force. Canada, in recent days, has had three Cabinet ministers in Washington to interface with their American counterparts. Present in the US capital are Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly, Minister of Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Minister Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller.
Canada has argued it increased vigilance on its border with the US, with drones and canine units, to curb illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl.
It also appears to have increased enforcement activity, as on Tuesday two Indo-Canadians were arrested in the province of Saskatchewan’s Swift Current region after police found eight kilogrammes of fentanyl hidden under the spare tire of the vehicle they were travelling in. The two were identified as 26-year-old Swati Narula and 28-year-old Kunwardeep Singh, both from Calgary in Alberta.
“Right now, we’re showing the new American administration that they have a strong partner in Canada when it comes to upholding border security, all while simultaneously underscoring that we won’t back down, that if tariffs are implemented against Canada, we will respond,” Trudeau said, prior to attending a meeting of the Canada-US Council in Toronto on Friday. He added, “It’s not what we want but if he moves forward, we will also act.”
Trump doesn’t appear to be impressed by Canada’s claims on controlling the border, as he again spoke of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl and how a lot of it “comes through Canada” as China makes it and “puts it through different places”. He also said criminals were using the same route: “A lot of them come through Canada and a lot of fentanyl comes through Canada.”
He has not spoken to Trudeau recently. And in response to Trudeau’s remarks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “I think Justin Trudeau would be wise to talk to President Trump directly before pushing outlandish comments like that to the media.”
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
