Trudeau promises 'forceful and immediate' response from Canada to Trump's tariffs

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is ready with a "forceful and immediate" response to tariffs that will be enforced as early as Saturday.

President Donald Trump followed through on a threat to impose debilitating tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China. Trudeau signaled that he will respond with tariffs on U.S. products, likely sparking a trade war.

'It's not what we want, but if he moves forward, we will also act.'

"We are in a critical moment. As President Trump stated yesterday, he's still committed to placing tariffs on Canada starting on early as tomorrow possibly," said Trudeau in an address from Toronto.

"Now we don't know precisely what that could look like, but I do know two things. First, if the president does choose to implement any tariffs against Canada, we're ready with a response. A purposeful, forceful, but reasonable, immediate, response," he added. "It's not what we want, but if he moves forward, we will also act."

Trump said imports from Canada and Mexico would face a 25% tariff, while imports from China would be hit with a 10% tariff. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has already threatened to raise Mexican tariffs in response.

Trudeau reiterated his point in a message on social media.

"No one — on either side of the border — wants to see American tariffs on Canadian goods," he wrote. "I met with our Canada-U.S. Council today. We’re working hard to prevent these tariffs, but if the United States moves ahead, Canada’s ready with a forceful and immediate response."

Free trade critics of Trump's tariff plan say that retaliatory tariffs will only lead to a trade war, with higher prices hurting the consumer and resulting in market inefficiencies.

"Among Mexico's main exporters to the United States are General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford Motor Company, which arrived in Mexico 80 years ago," said Sheinbaum in her response to Trump. "Why impose a tariff that would jeopardize them? Such a measure would be unacceptable and would lead to inflation and job losses in both the United States and Mexico."

Trump has said that he might relent on tariffs on oil imports.

″I’m probably going to reduce the tariff a little bit on that,” he said in reference to oil. “We think we’re going to bring it down to 10%.”

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