U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that his government will impose economy-wide tariffs on Canada on Tuesday, March 4.
Tariffs of 25 percent will apply to across-the-board Canadian goods, while Canadian energy will be hit with a 10 percent levy. Trump confirmed the tariffs during a press conference from the White House, noting that Mexico will face similar tariffs. During the conference, Trump says both Canada and Mexico must build car plants and “other things” in the United States to get the levies removed.
Trump: “No room left for Mexico or for Canada. No. The tariffs are all set, they go into effect tomorrow.” pic.twitter.com/rBxkbh3Kll
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 3, 2025
For months, Trump has been promising to hit Canada with tariffs, arguing that the U.S.’ neighbour wasn’t doing enough to prevent illegal immigration and drug trafficking at the border. In February, Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on the tariffs following a call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who outlined additional border control initiatives, including the appointment of a ‘fentanyl czar’ and extra frontline personnel. However, this also comes amid Trump’s well-publicized desires to annex Canada, among other countries, leaving many to view the supposed border concerns as a strong-arming tactic.
The Trudeau government, for its part, has said it’s ready to respond to the U.S. with “dollar-for-dollar” tariffs in a trade war. On Sunday, Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand told CBC’s Rosemary Barton Live that Canada “will retaliate to the tune of about $155 billion in aggregate” and is “prepared for any eventuality.”
Some of Canada’s premiers have also promised retaliation at the provincial level. Most prominently, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has pledged to cancel the province’s $100 million deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink and remove U.S. liquor from LCBO shelves in response to tariffs.
All the while, governments and businesses have been encouraging Canadians to buy local. In fact, a recent Leger poll found that 68 percent of Canadians say they’re actually buying more Canadian goods amid the looming trade war, with 27 percent of respondents even saying they now view America as an “enemy.”
Image credit: Shutterstock
Via: The Canadian Press (CTV News)
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
