Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Canada will be ready with a “forceful and immediate response” if US President Trump does proceed on Saturday with the application of 25% tariffs.
Trudeau wrote in a post on X, We’re working hard to prevent these tariffs, but if the United States moves ahead, Canada’s ready with a forceful and immediate response.”
Trump reaffirmed the tariff warning on Friday; he said earlier that the US will go into force. Canada, lately, has had three Cabinet ministers in Washington to channel with their American counterparts. Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly, Minister of Public Safety David McGuinty, and Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Marc Miller are the ministers present in the US.
Canada has contended it will raise surveillance on its border with the US, with drones and canine units, to curb unlawful immigration and the flow of fentanyl.
It also showed up as an increased implementation activity, as on Tuesday two Indo-Canadians were detained in the province of Saskatchewan’s Swift Current region after police discovered eight kilograms of fentanyl hidden under the spare tire of the vehicle. The two were named as 26-year-old Swati Narula and 28-year-old Kunwardeep Singh, both from Calgary in Alberta.
“Right now, we’re showing the new American administration that they have a strong ally in Canada when it comes to upholding border security, all while simultaneously highlighting that we won’t back down, that if tariffs are enforced against Canada, we will respond,”
Trudeau said, before attending a meeting of the Canada-US Council in Toronto on Friday. He further said, “It’s not what we want, but if he moves forward, we will also act.”
Trump was not impressed by Canada’s claims on strengthening the vigilance on the border, as he again spoke of the lethal synthetic opioid fentanyl and how a lot of it “comes through Canada” as China makes it and “puts it through different places.”.
He also said criminals were using the same way: “A lot of them come through Canada, and a lot of fentanyl comes through Canada.”
“He has not spoken to Trudeau recently. And in reaction to Trudeau’s statement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “I think Justin Trudeau would be wise to talk to President Trump directly before pushing outlandish comments like that to the media.”
