Oakville MP Anita Anand has addressed Oakvilleans for the first time in town regarding U.S. president Donald Trump's newly enacted tariffs against Canada.
"As Canadians, we need to support each other in the face of these difficult times. We need to buy Canadian, we need to hire Canadian, and we need to travel Canadian."
Anand, also Canada's Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, took time to discuss the ongoing tariffs (and what the Canadian Government will be doing to counter them) while at an announcement in town for new funding to southern Ontario's agriculture sector.
Read more here: Canada announces new investments for southern Ontario agri-foods in Oakville
She began her statement by addressing the toll this will have on the American economy: "These tariffs are going to hurt American businesses that rely on Canadian imports, they're going to hurt American families, and the American economy."
Anand also spoke on what Canada has done and will continue to do to combat these tariffs, including the $155 billion in counter tariffs laid out by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
Canada responded with those counter tariffs in two phases: the first $30 billion went into effect at 12:01 a.m. yesterday (March 4, 2025), with the remaining $125 billion in Canadian tariffs coming on March 24.
Anand said that prior to today, the Canadian Government put in place a fentanyl czar even though less than 1% of fentanyl that goes into the U.S. comes through Canada's border - which was Trump's original stipulation to cancel the planned trade war. Canada further strengthened the border with $1.2 billion of added resources such as drones and helicopters.
After announcing these measures, Anand stressed the importance of standing up for Canada: "We need to stand up for Canadian workers, Canadian families, and Canadian businesses."
"We need to do whatever we can to support Canada. Team Canada always wins in the end, and Team Canada is going to win this time."