Trudeau Says Trump’s Tariffs Would Also Hurt Us

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending his working relationship with President-elect Donald Trump while pointing out that tariffs on Canadian goods would also hurt Americans.

“We were able to protect great jobs in Canada by working with President Trump on renegotiating NAFTA in ways that secured our economy for decades to come,” Trudeau said to reporters Friday in Prince Edward Island.

“We rolled up our sleeves, we created growth across both sides of the border, [and] continue to work constructively and responsibly for the win-win that is the Canada-U.S. relationship.”

Trudeau said he “looks forward” to “lots of great conversations” with the president-elect.

Earlier this week, Trump said that on his first day back in office he plans to bring in a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian products coming into the United States. He said it will remain in effect until America’s northern border is secured from drugs, particularly fentanyl, and illegal immigration.

“One of the things that is really important to understand is that when Donald Trump makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out,” Trudeau said. “There’s no question about it.”

Canada’s responsibility is to point out that these tariffs will also harm American businesses and industry, Trudeau said.

“But there are ways for us to work together,” he said. “We can create opportunities and growth and good jobs on both sides of the border by being the partners and allies we’ve been for decades.”

As of Nov. 6, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized 19.5 kilograms of fentanyl at its northern border this year. Last year it seized one kilogram at the northern border.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller pointed out this week that the yearly flow of migrants into the U.S. from Canada is the equivalent to “a significant weekend at the Mexico border.”

As for illegal entry into the U.S., border protection data shows there were nearly 200,000 northern border encounters between October 2023 and September. By comparison, the U.S.’s southern border saw over 2.1 million encounters during the same time period.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday that he hopes Trump will stand down on his threat.

“I hope he rethinks it. I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do,” Biden said during a visit to a Nantucket fire hall.

“We’re surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies, Mexico and Canada. And the last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.”