ADVERTISEMENTs
Trudeau says US tariff war to drag on, Bessent calls him a 'numbskull'
"I can confirm that we will continue to be in a trade war that was launched by the United States for the foreseeable future," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.
.jpeg)
FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Feb. 16 / REUTERS/Jennifer Gauthier/File Photo
Canada will be in a trade war with the United States for the foreseeable future, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on March. 6, speaking shortly before U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called him "a numbskull".
Trudeau said Canada would continue to engage with senior Trump administration officials about tariffs Washington says it will impose on Canadian imports, reiterating that his goal was to get the measures removed.
"I can confirm that we will continue to be in a trade war that was launched by the United States for the foreseeable future," he told reporters in Ottawa.
Canada immediately imposed 25 percent tariffs on C$30 billion of U.S. imports and Trudeau said those measures would remain in place until the Trump administration ended its trade action.
Bessent made clear the administration's unhappiness, telling an event in New York that "If you want to be a numbskull like Justin Trudeau and say 'Oh we're going to do this', then tariffs are going to go up".
In response, a Canadian government source said Washington was upset because Ottawa had retaliated.
Trudeau and Trump, who accuses Canada of not doing enough to stop the flow of fentanyl and illegal migrants across the border, held a 50-minute phone conversation on March. 5.
"It was a colorful call. It was also a very substantive call," said Trudeau, adding that the two sides were in talks but had nothing to announce yet.
"We are ... trying to make sure that these tariffs don't overly harm, certainly in the short term, certain sectors."
One topic of conversation is Canada possibly delaying a second round of 25 percent tariffs on a further C$125 billion of U.S. imports, due to come into effect in less than three weeks.
Trump will exempt automakers from tariffs on Canada and Mexico for one month as long as they comply with existing free trade rules, the White House said on March. 5.
"Any carve outs that support any workers in Canada, even if it's just one industry or another, are going to be a good thing," said Trudeau.
The Canadian prime minister will step down once the ruling Liberal Party chooses a new leader this March. 9. He has generally had poor relations with Trump and took a swipe at the president, who first made a name for himself as a real estate mogul.
"A win-lose between us would actually be worse for them than a win-win. That's true in international trade, in relations between nation states," he said.
"It perhaps is not true in real estate deals, (where) a win-lose is probably better for someone who is experienced in business deals than a win-win," he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
ADVERTISEMENT
.jpg)
Video
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpg)
.jpeg)
.webp)
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login