Canadian officials have spoken out against the threat of potential tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump and the United States, saying the country is prepared to take action.
During his inaugural address, Trump said he would impose tariffs on other countries and later said that he is “thinking in terms of 25% on Mexico and Canada.”
“I think February 1st,” added the President, according to The Hill.
These comments also came with Trump declaring that other countries would be forced to pay the taxes associated with the tariffs, though it remains unclear how this process would work since these taxes are often passed along to consumers.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who recently resigned as leader of the Liberal Party, responded to Trump’s comments and said action will be taken that is “robust and rapid and measured.”
“Canada will respond and everything is on the table,” he said, per Firstpost.
Canadian Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand also said, “Retaliatory measures are ready” and that the country will “use all tools in our toolbox to ensure that we’re protecting Canadian workers and Canadian industry.”
“If pushed, our response will be the single largest trade blow the U.S. economy has ever endured, given that Canada is America’s largest export market — larger than China, Japan, the U.K. and France combined,” stated Anand, per CTV News.
While many Canadian officials are threatening major action against these tariffs, Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said, “There’s nothing new this evening than was different than a week ago.”
“We have spent the last number of weeks preparing potential response scenarios for the Government of Canada in partnership with provinces and Canadian business leaders and union leaders,” he explained, per CTV News.
“So our country is absolutely ready to respond to any one of these scenarios.”
The President’s comments come as he promised sweeping changes on his inauguration day, claiming that “The golden age of America begins now.”
“Our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced. The vicious, violent, and unfair weaponization of the Justice Department and our government will end,” said the President during the event, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.