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WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. President Donald Trump suggested his administration could move ahead with 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on Canadian imports on Feb. 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He delivered the deadline on Monday evening at the White House as he signed a stack of unrelated executive orders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are thinking in terms of 25 per cent on Mexico and Canada because they are allowing vast number of people, Canada is a very bad abuser also, vast numbers of people to come in and fentanyl to come in,\u201d he told reporters Monday night.<\/p>\n
The February date comes after Trump officials, speaking anonymously, suggested to reporters that the Republican president would only sign a memorandum telling federal agencies to study trade issues, including alleged unfair trade and currency practices by Canada, Mexico and China.<\/p>\n
An executive order from the presiden mandating the studies set an April 1 deadline for the reports \u2014 well after his suggestion that tariffs will happen in February.<\/p>\n
Trump also said he may consider imposing a universal tariff on all countries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not ready for that yet,\u201d Trump said. \u201cEssentially all countries take advantage of the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foreign Affairs Minister M\u00e9lanie Joly called it an \u201cimportant moment for Canadians\u201d after Trump announced the date.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re calling on every single political leader across the board, across the country, to stand united because now more than ever, we need to make sure that we put country first,\u201d Joly said at a cabinet retreat in Montebello, Que.<\/p>\n
Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Ottawa is \u201cabsolutely\u201d ready for Trump tariffs, adding that Canada has responses prepared for various scenarios.<\/p>\n
Federal government sources have said if Trump sets the tariffs at 25 per cent, Canada\u2019s response would be to impose counter-tariffs worth roughly $37 billion, and possibly follow up with another $110 billion in tariffs. If the duties are lower, Canada\u2019s tariff response would be more modest.<\/p>\n
Trump, who gave his inaugural address earlier Monday in the Capitol Rotunda, focused largely on concerns about immigration at the Mexican border and touched on prosecutions of himself and his supporters. Suggesting he still has an eye on tariffs, Trump said he was going to overhaul the trade system to protect American workers and families.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,\u201d he said during his inaugural address.<\/p>\n
Federal and provincial officials in Washington were relieved that tariffs on Canadian goods were not part of Trump\u2019s inaugural speech. But many said Canada can\u2019t afford to be complacent ahead of what could be a brutal hit to the economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always good news when you\u2019re not mentioned, so I prefer that,\u201d said Liberal MP John McKay, who co-chairs the Canada-U.S. interparliamentary group.<\/p>\n
In an interview inside the Canadian embassy in Washington, McKay said Ottawa has an opportunity to establish \u201can agreed upon set of facts, as opposed to nonsense which is currently occupying the public space.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has insisted for weeks that Washington is subsidizing Canada at an annual rate of $100 billion, a claim McKay called \u201cjust nonsense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trade Minister Mary Ng sought to reassure Canadians earlier Monday, saying that Ottawa and the provinces have taken a Team Canada approach to convincing Americans that tariffs and restrictions on Canadian goods would only hurt U.S. jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are ready and we are prepared,\u201d Ng said.<\/p>\n
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she saw opportunity for Canada in Trump\u2019s speech when he said he would \u201cdeclare a national energy emergency\u201d to drive down prices at the pump and \u201cexport American energy all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith said Canada can form a \u201cperfect partnership\u201d with the U.S. to provide oil and gas at stable prices, so the Americans can focus on boosting their own energy exports.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmericans want to have energy dominance globally, and I believe the best way for them to achieve that is for Canada to be a partner in that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf their asks are reasonable, then let\u2019s meet them halfway.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week, Smith refused to sign a joint statement with other premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that said every possible countermeasure would be on the table to push back against U.S. tariffs.<\/p>\n
Smith, who recently travelled to Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to meet with the president-elect, broke from the pack by refusing to consider any plan that would include possible levies on oil exports or cutting off energy supplies to the U.S.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued Monday, Trudeau congratulated Trump on his inauguration and cited Canada\u2019s efforts to secure the border in response to the Republican leader\u2019s demands for a crackdown on migrants and drugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are strongest when we work together,\u201d Trudeau wrote.<\/p>\n
When asked who would be his first foreign meeting, Trump said he\u2019d already had meetings. He pointed to Trudeau, making a repeated jab about making Canada the 51st state by calling him a governor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s inauguration presented a scene quite different from Trump\u2019s first inauguration in 2017, when he painted a bleak picture of what he called \u201cAmerican carnage\u201d \u2014 a speech that was overshadowed in the news cycle by his claims about crowd sizes.<\/p>\n
The celebrations also offered a stark contrast to the nature of Trump\u2019s departure from the nation\u2019s capital four years ago. In the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill attack, Trump refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election and skipped Biden\u2019s inauguration.<\/p>\n
Biden and his vice-president Kamala Harris, as well as former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, were in attendance on Monday inside the rotunda, as was Industry Minister Fran\u00e7ois-Philippe Champagne.<\/p>\n
Trump delivered his oath of office inside the U.S. Capitol after cold weather moved the planned ceremony indoors.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outside, thousands of people wearing Trump tuques and hats braved the frigid weather near the Capitol One Arena, where Trump spoke later after his inaugural address.<\/p>\n
Kenneth Johnson, visiting the capital from Boulder City, Nev., said he believes Trump will stop other countries from \u201ctaking advantage\u201d of the U.S. and bring down the cost of groceries.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re getting rid of the corruption. We\u2019re getting rid of the baloney,\u201d he said, citing President Joe Biden\u2019s last-minute pardon of administration officials who might face retribution from Trump.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur nation\u2019s going to be back under control,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
Daniel Blake travelled from Connecticut to take in the moment and celebrate with others excited about the promise of smaller government.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe basically waste our taxpayer money, so I\u2019m excited about that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n