Just one day before President Donald Trump imposes punishing 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products entering the US, Canada continues a diplomatic offensive, with federal cabinet ministers and other leaders trying to convince the Trump administration that tariffs are a bad idea and would hurt both countries.
There is also the warning that Canada would retaliate, however, Trump spoke from the Oval Office on Thursday and seems adamant.
“So we’ll be announcing the tariffs on Canada and Mexico for a number of reasons. Number one is the people that have poured into our country so horribly and so much. Number two is the drugs, fentanyl, and everything else that come into the country,” Trump said.
Canadian officials and leaders are pleading the case to Republicans and administration officials who will listen that the facts don’t support that argument. That message was taken to Washington this week by Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
“First, less than one percent of fentanyl that is in the US comes from Canada and less than one percent of illegal migrants in the US come from Canada, well that is definitely also resonating,” Joly said.
As the diplomatic blitz continues, Canadian leaders also argue that Canada IS working hard to bolster border security. The RCMP, Canada’s national police force, this week began using Black Hawk helicopters to patrol the border on a regular basis in Alberta and Quebec. In the Niagara region Canadian border agents and the RCMP intercepted a human smuggling attempt along the Niagara River, in which an individual jumped off a moving freight train as it entered Canada.
Despite the moves to appease President Trump, Canada’s Labor Minister Steve MacKinnon, says Ottawa will not sit by while the country faces crippling tariffs.
“The government of Canada is prepared. The government of Canada will retaliate. The government of Canada will protect workers,” MacKinnon said.
Ottawa’s latest move is a three-minute video sent to Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary. It highlights the efforts that Canada is taking to bolster border security. A source in Ottawa has suggested that it’s up to Lutnick to decide what to do with it.
