The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on unjustified U.S. tariffs against Canada:
“Today, after a 30-day pause, the United States administration has decided to proceed with imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports and 10 per cent tariffs on Canadian energy. Let me be unequivocally clear – there is no justification for these actions.
“While less than 1 per cent of the fentanyl intercepted at the U.S. border comes from Canada, we have worked relentlessly to address this scourge that affects Canadians and Americans alike. We implemented a $1.3 billion border plan with new choppers, boots on the ground, more co-ordination, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. We appointed a Fentanyl Czar, listed transnational criminal cartels as terrorist organizations, launched the Joint Operational Intelligence Cell, and are establishing a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force on organized crime. Because of this work – in partnership with the United States – fentanyl seizures from Canada have dropped 97 per cent between December 2024 and January 2025 to a near-zero low of 0.03 pounds seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Canada will not let this unjustified decision go unanswered. Should American tariffs come into effect tonight, Canada will, effective 12:01 a.m. EST tomorrow, respond with 25 per cent tariffs against $155 billion of American goods – starting with tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods immediately, and tariffs on the remaining $125 billion on American products in 21 days’ time. Our tariffs will remain in place until the U.S. trade action is withdrawn, and should U.S. tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures. While we urge the U.S. administration to reconsider their tariffs, Canada remains firm in standing up for our economy, our jobs, our workers, and for a fair deal.
“Because of the tariffs imposed by the U.S., Americans will pay more for groceries, gas, and cars, and potentially lose thousands of jobs. Tariffs will disrupt an incredibly successful trading relationship. They will violate the very trade agreement that was negotiated by President Trump in his last term.”
Is your issue with tariffs vs voluntary boycott the removal of choice from the individual?
As I said, my issue is it rarely affects the targeted country, but ALWAYS affects the targeting country since it’s THAT country that pays the tariff. It’s literally a tax imposed on citizens in hopes that it will cause them to stop buying a product from another country.
I’m the case of the US, we hardly make anything, so people just have to pay more. China doesn’t play fair so they can just subsidize the companies that make our products. Plus many of their products cost so much less than ours you can pay extra and still save money over buying American.
The last time Trump was president he imposed tariffs on washing machines, making them more expensive than foreign machines. What happened? American companies raised the price of their machines to match, negating any benefit of the tariff. I’m addition they raised the price of dryers, which people often buy at the same time.
Are you talking about prices in the USA? I am asking why you prefer a boycott by Canadians instead of Canadian sanctions which would raise the prices in Canada. But if you are for a boycott the price as set by tariffs is irrelevant if it’s not bought anyways.
That’s exactly what I’m saying. Canada imposing retaliatory tariffs on the US hurts Canadians. The boycott thing is just a suggestion but that would hurt the US without hurting Canadians. People keep saying a tariff on China or a tariff on Canada when it’s really just a tax on Americans. So by phrasing it that way it reinforces the idea in people’s minds that the tariff adversely affects the targeted country, when that is rarely the case. But it ALWAYS hurts the people of the country that imposed the tariff. So imposing tariffs on the US is really just saying Canada wants to attack Canadians and hope there is an adverse affect on the US.
But if Canadians actually boycott a US product it doesn’t matter whether the price is increased or not since they will not be buying it anyways. It only makes a difference for the Canadians that will not boycott US goods.
Respectively passing up on a cheaper/better US good due to boycott will hurt the boycotter.
The only difference is if individual Canadians get a choice or not.
I’m not sure what you’re struggling with. Yes a price change will not affect those who are not buying the product. But not buying the product is the goal in both cases. Remember tariffs don’t always affect just one product. A tax on steel will affect everything made from steel. And not everyone will avoid the product. I suppose you could argue that those Canadians who buy the product should be punished but that’s what I’m arguing against. In the US avoiding products made in China is nearly impossible so we have to suffer with the tariffs, which China probably won’t.
I am not struggling with anything, you are just not making any sense.
By your arguments Canada should neither put tariffs on the US nor really promote a boycott since in both cases, Canadians lose out. So why did you suggest Canada should respond with a boycott?