Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance that punishing tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum will hurt his home state Ohio, a senior Canadian official said.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of an international summit in Paris, as the Trump administration moves forward with its threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including from its biggest supplier, Canada, effective March 12.
“Tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum would be entirely unjustified,” Trudeau told reporters at the summit. “We are the [U.S.’s] closest ally. Our economies are integrated.”
Trump said on Monday the tariffs would be imposed on steel and aluminum from all counties “without exceptions or exemptions.”
The federal government will work with the Trump administration over the coming weeks, Trudeau said, to make sure it understands the impact the levies would have on both the U.S. and Canada.
When asked by CBC News if he would reciprocate with matching tariffs on aluminum and steel, Trudeau said he hopes that doesn’t have to happen.
“If it comes to that, our response, of course, will be firm and clear. We will stand up for Canadian workers. We will stand up for Canadian industries.”
WATCH | Tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum ‘entirely unjustified,’ PM says
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will work with the U.S. in the coming weeks to highlight the negative impacts of ‘unacceptable’ 25 per cent tariffs on both Canadians and Americans. ‘If it comes to that, our response, of course, will be firm and clear.’
Trump is promising to revive U.S. steelmaking in Rust Belt states, including Ohio, to bring back more industrial manufacturing jobs.
Trudeau mentioned the impact of tariffs on Ohio to Vance, a Canadian official said. The state is America’s biggest exporter sending more than $21 billion US in goods to Canada in 2023, according to the U.S. Trade Representative. If Canada retaliates, its steel, cars, plastics, iron and plane exports could be hit with counter tariffs.
The prime minister didn’t announce specific retaliatory measures on Tuesday, but his government has warned that a trade war could drive up consumer prices and hurt the economy south of the border.
WATCH/ Trump imposes 25% tariff on all steel, aluminum imports
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed two executive orders imposing 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports without exception, a move Canadian officials called ‘unjustified’ as they readied their retaliation.
The prime minister made his comments in Paris, on his way to the AI Action Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Vance didn’t respond to Canadian media’s questions about the tariffs while arriving at the summit on Tuesday.
The prime minister said he is also working with international leaders to co-ordinate a response and will be travelling to Brussels on Wednesday to meet with European Union leaders and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Quebec’s aluminum industry is feeling a bit of déjà vu. During his first term, U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 25 per cent surtax on steel imports and 10 per cent on aluminum. This time, both will be subject to the 25 per cent rate.
