WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is ready to deliver a "purposeful, forceful but reasonable immediate" response if U.S. President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on Canadian imports.
Trudeau, speaking before a meeting of the Council on Canada-U.S. Relations in Toronto, said devastating duties are "not what we want, but if he moves forward, we will also act."
Three federal cabinet ministers are in Washington making a last-ditch attempt to stop Trump from slapping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports as early as Saturday.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Immigration Minister Marc Miller are all in the U.S. capital making a final diplomatic push to convince Republican lawmakers and Trump's team to sway the president.
It remains unclear what the president will do.
"Whatever decision he makes on those things, that's his decision to make," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday on The Megyn Kelly Show.
"Whether he makes it this weekend or a week from now or a month from now, he clearly wants to address both illegal migration but ultimately also our economic interests."
The tariffs are “not hostile moves," Rubio said, adding he doesn’t think Canada is a strategic threat to the United States. Pointing to his meeting with Joly earlier this week, Rubio said Canada and the U.S. have shared interests along the border.
“They’re good friends. I mean, we work with them on a lot of things,” he said. “We have a deep partnership with them … but there are some issues we’re going to need to address.”
Trump initially claimed his tariff threat was in response to a failure by Canada and Mexico to curb the illegal flow of people and drugs across the border. His complaints have since expanded to include trade deficits and national defence spending.
Trudeau said Friday Canada has responded to Trump's concerns with a $1.3 billion border security plan.
"In fact, the first patrol helicopters began monitoring the border earlier this week, and new canine teams, along with imaging tools, are being deployed to detect and stop the flow of fentanyl," he said.
He noted that less than one per cent of fentanyl and illegal crossings into the United States come from Canada.
The prime minister tried to reassure Canadians while acknowledging Canada "could be facing difficult times in the coming days and weeks."
"I won't sugarcoat it," he said.
Trudeau said he knows Canadians "might be anxious and worried, but I want them to know the federal government, and indeed all orders of government, have their backs."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2025.
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press