Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs beginning as early as Tuesday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s surcharges on Canadian goods.
Trudeau addressed Canadians — and Americans — in a press conference Saturday evening. Here are his full remarks in English (French remarks not included).
Read Trudeau’s full English remarks
Today, the United States informed us they will be imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States and 10 per cent on Canadian energy, a decision that should they elect to proceed with, should take effect on Tuesday, February, 4th.
Tonight, first, I want to speak directly to Americans, our closest friends and neighbours. This is a choice that, yes, will harm Canadians but beyond that, it will have real consequences for you, the American people.
As I have consistently said, tariffs against Canada will put your jobs at risk, potentially shutting down American auto assembly plants and other manufacturing facilities. They will raise costs for you, including food at the grocery stores and gas at the pump. They will impede your access to an affordable supply of vital goods, crucial for U.S. security such as nickel, potash, uranium, steel and aluminum. They will violate the free trade agreement that the president and I, along with our Mexican partner, negotiated and signed a few years ago.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. As President John F. Kennedy said many years ago, “geography has made us neighbours, history has made us friends, economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies.”
That rang true for many decades prior to President Kennedy’s time in office and in the decades since. From the beaches of Normandy, to the mountains of the Korean Peninsula, from the fields of Flanders, to the streets of Kandahar, we have fought and died alongside you.
During your darkest hours, during the Iranian hostage crisis, those 444 days we worked around the clock from our embassy to get your innocent compatriots home; during the summer of 2005 when Hurricane Katrina ravaged your great city of New Orleans or mere weeks ago when we sent water bombers to tackle the wildfires in California; during the day the world stood still on September 11th, 2001, when we provided refuge to stranded passengers and planes, we were always there standing with you, grieving with you, the American people.
Together we’ve built the most successful economic, military and security partnership the world has ever seen, a relationship that has been the envy of the world. Yes, we’ve had our differences in the past, but we’ve always found a way to get past them.
As I’ve said before, if president Trump wants to usher in a new “Golden Age” for the United States, the better path is to partner with Canada, not to punish us. Canada has critical minerals, reliable and affordable energy, stable Democratic institutions, shared values and the natural resources you need. Canada has the ingredients necessary to build a booming and secure partnership for the North American economy and we stand at the ready to work together.
Let’s take a moment to talk about our shared border. Our border is already safe and secure but there’s always more work to do. Less than one per cent of fentanyl, less than one per cent of illegal crossings into the United States come from Canada, but hearing concerns from both Canadians and Americans including the American president himself, we’re taking action. We launched a $1.3 billion border plan that is already showing results because we too are devastated by the scourge that is fentanyl, a drug that has torn apart communities and caused so much pain and torment for countless families across Canada just like in the United States. A drug that we too want to see wiped from the face of this Earth, a drug whose traffickers must be punished. As neighbours we must work collaboratively to fix this.
Unfortunately the actions taken today by the White House split us apart instead of bringing us together.
Tonight I am announcing Canada will be responding to the U.S. trade action with 25 per cent tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods. This will include immediate tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods as of Tuesday, followed by further tariffs on $125 billion worth of American products in 21 days time to allow Canadian companies and supply chains to seek to find alternatives.
Like the American tariffs, our response will also be far-reaching and include everyday items such as American beer, wine and bourbon, fruits and fruit juices, including orange juice, along with vegetables, perfume, clothing and shoes. It’ll include major consumer products like household appliances, furniture and sports equipment, and materials like lumber and plastics, along with much, much more. And as part of our response, we are considering, with the provinces and territories, several non-tariff measures including some relating to critical minerals, energy procurement and other partnerships. We will stand strong for Canada. We will stand strong to ensure our countries continue to be the best neighbours in the world.
With all that said, I also want to speak directly to Canadians in this moment. I’m sure many of you are anxious but I want you to know we are all in this together. The Canadian government, Canadian businesses, Canadian organized labour, Canadian civil society, Canada’s Premiers and tens of millions of Canadians from coast to coast to coast are aligned and united. This is Team Canada at its best.
Now is also the time to choose Canada. There are many ways for you to do your part. It might mean checking the labels at the supermarket and picking Canadian-made products. It might mean opting for Canadian rye over Kentucky bourbon or foregoing Florida orange juice altogether. It might mean changing your summer vacation plans to stay here in Canada and explore the many national and provincial parks, historical sites and tourist destinations our great country has to offer.
It might mean doing all of these things or finding your own way to stand up for Canada. In this moment, we must pull together because we love this country. We pride ourselves on braving the cold during the long winter months. We don’t like to beat our chests but we’re always out there, waving the maple leaf loudly and proudly to celebrate an Olympic gold medal.
Canada is home to bountiful resources, breathtaking beauty and a proud people who’ve come from every corner of the globe to forge a nation with a unique identity worth embracing and celebrating. We don’t pretend to be perfect but Canada is the best country on Earth. There’s nowhere else that I and our 41 million strong family would rather be, and we will get through this challenge just as we’ve done countless times before, together. Thank you. Merci. Vive le Canada.
