Canada’s retaliatory trade tariffs on the United States will be aimed at inflicting “great pain” on its southern neighbor to force President-elect Donald Trump to abandon tariffs on Canadian products, Canadian Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said.
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Earlier it became known that Canada is considering imposing retaliatory trade tariffs on American steel and ceramic products, including toilets and sinks, as well as orange juice, if Trump imposes tariffs on Canadian goods.
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“This list (of U.S. goods on which Canada could impose tariffs) will definitely be focused on trying to cause extreme pain in the United States to ensure pressure on President Trump to lift the tariffs,” the minister said.
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Wilkinson also did not rule out the introduction of export duties on electricity supplies to the United States. However, according to the minister, Canada has ways to negotiate with the administration of the future president, US senators and business representatives in order to avoid the tariffs promised by Trump.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on December 10 that Ottawa would respond if Trump decides to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. Later, the Prime Minister of the Canadian province of Ontario, Douglas Ford, threatened to cut off the power supply to a number of neighboring US states if Trump nevertheless introduced tariffs.
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Earlier, Trump said that after taking office as president, he would impose tariffs of 25% on goods from Canada and Mexico due to the unresolved problem of illegal immigration and drug trafficking in the United States, and also promised to add 10% to export duties on goods from China. The Wall Street Journal noted that the new tariffs threaten to undermine the global trading system and cause serious damage to key sectors of the American economy, including the auto industry, opening up new opportunities for China in international markets.
