The clock continues to wind down on U.S. President Donald Trump’s next deadline for imposing sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods. In the meantime, some American lawmakers are pushing the president to back off tariffs altogether — and they hope Canada notices.
“I certainly hope the pause continues,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live. “But my real hope is some final agreement can be reached. Tariffs are only going to increase prices on the American people and probably on the Canadian people.”
Both countries have agreed to stand down on a trade war — for now. On Monday, Trump was set to place 25 per cent tariffs on almost all Canadian goods, which prompted Canada to declare retaliatory tariffs hours later on a slate of American goods.
Beshear, a Democrat, criticized the U.S. president’s tariffs.
“Canada is one of our strongest allies, one of our strongest friends, one of our strongest partners,” he said. “So to me as governor, it’s really important that we move past this and get back to that strong relationship we’ve had.”
A Canada-U.S. tariff fight would threaten Kentucky in several ways. The state exported $9.1 billion US in goods to Canada in 2023, representing 23 per cent of the state’s total goods exports, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
Before the pause came into effect, several Canadian provinces and territories began taking American liquor off store shelves, including Kentucky bourbon.
Beshear pointed out that Kentucky’s two Republican senators, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, have both criticized tariffs in interviews with American media outlets or on social media.
“I do hope that the Canadian government, in its response, sees people who are trying to do right, stand up for the right things,” Beshear said. “And we don’t want to deprive great bourbon from anybody around the world.”
Tariffs are simply taxes. Conservatives once united against new taxes. Taxing trade will mean less trade and higher prices.
—@RandPaul
Illinois Rep. Nikki Budzinski told host Rosemary Barton she’s concerned about Canada’s retaliatory tariffs because it would continue to elevate prices for farmers, making it more difficult for them “to keep their heads above water.”
Budzinski also said she’s concerned about the instability Trump is causing for Canada-U.S. relations and for businesses in the United States.
“We also need to stop playing these political games with some of our most important partners in the world, and that’s Canada,” she said.
Are the tariffs really about fentanyl?
As part of a last-minute deal with Trump to avoid the tariffs, Canada promised to appoint a “fentanyl czar,” list Mexican cartels as terrorists and kick in $200 million to launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force tasked with combatting organized crime and money laundering.
When asked if he thinks fentanyl is fuelling Trump’s tariffs, Beshear said the opioid and drug epidemic in the United States is a real concern, especially in Kentucky.
“But when you look at the numbers, the Canadian border is not one of the causes of this epidemic,” the Kentucky governor said.
Figures from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show the agency seized 19.5 kilograms of fentanyl at the its border with Canada last year, compared to 9,570 kilograms at its border with Mexico.
“Certainly, I think what we’ve seen from the Canadian government — and promises to step up enforcement — should end this thing entirely,” Beshear said.
Likewise, Budzinski said there is a border crisis in the United States, but the focus is on Mexico.
The Illinois congresswoman added it’s “disingenuous” for Trump to claim he’s gotten additional commitments from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when Canada was already taking action back in December, when Joe Biden was in office.
Canada’s incoming ‘fentanyl czar’
On Thursday, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty promised the czar will be appointed before the tariff pause ends on March 4.
It’s not clear what the scope of the job will be, or who will take up the role, but some Canadian law enforcement officials are supporting the move, including RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme.
Duheme said he sees the fentanyl czar as a “conduit where everything that’s being done from a federal government perspective flows up to this person who then is in a better position to brief the prime minister or cabinet.”
“There’s so many government departments involved in the fight against fentanyl,” Duheme said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live, adding that he also sees the czar building relationships with officials in the United States and Mexico.
The RCMP commissioner also said the new position won’t interfere with Mounties’ work “because we have police independence and that’s going to maintain.”
Some premiers and provincial politicians have begun to express concern about the fact the fentanyl czar hasn’t been appointed yet, including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Doug Ford.
On Saturday afternoon, Smith said in a social media post her province “is perplexed and concerned by the delay in appointing this fentanyl czar and calls on the federal government to do so without further delay.”
Earlier on Saturday, Ford sent out a simpler message: “Appoint them now.”
After crediting the Canadian government’s actions on combatting fentanyl, Beshear said that most Americans “don’t view Canada in the way [Trump] does.”
“And I hope that Canadians that are watching this, watching me and watching the whole thing unfurl — this is not the majority consensus of our country.”
