Canada will soon respond to new tariffs on imported vehicles announced by US President Donald Trump and could impose retaliatory measures, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Wednesday.
Calling Trump’s move “a direct attack,” Carney told reporters he would convene a high-level cabinet meeting on Thursday to decide on a response.
“We will defend our workers, we will defend our companies, we will defend our country, and we will defend it together,” he said during an event in Kitchener, Ontario.
The tariffs are expected to disrupt the highly integrated North American auto industry.
Canada has already unveiled a package of retaliatory tariffs totalling C$155 billion, which it said would be imposed in stages depending on Trump’s actions.
Asked when Canada would react, Carney said, “It will happen soon … we have options. We can introduce retaliatory tariffs.” However, he did not provide further details.
Carney, who has previously floated non-tariff measures such as levying export duties on Canadian commodities sent to the US, said he would speak to Trump “when appropriate.” The two leaders have not spoken since Carney was sworn in as prime minister earlier this month.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he had spoken with Carney and emphasised the need for a strong response. “We’re going to make sure that we inflict as much pain as possible on the American people without inflicting pain on the Canadian population,” Ford told reporters.
Ford added that he would soon be speaking with the leaders of Canada’s other nine provinces to coordinate a national response.
“We have two options here – we either roll over as a country and he runs us over 15 times and gets what he wants, or we feel a little bit of pain and fight like we have never fought before. I prefer the latter – I believe in fighting,” he said.
Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, is home to the country’s domestic auto industry.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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