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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday his country will “resist strongly and firmly if necessary” to US tariffs on steel announced by US President Donald Trump.
Speaking at an AI summit in Paris, the Canadian leader also added that the US’ move to add a 25% blanket duty on all steel and aluminum imports starting March 12 would be “entirely unjustified,” AFP reported.
Canada is the largest steel exporter to the US and likely will be the hardest hit by the tariffs, analysts said. Both Canada and Mexico temporarily evaded a 25% across-the-board tariff on all goods exported to the US last week following 11th-hour negotiations with Trump.
The EU, which will also be affected by the metals duty, hit back at Trump’s announcement Tuesday, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying: “Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered — they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures.” The EU has prepared lists of American products that could be subjected to retaliatory tariffs, Bloomberg reported.
US tariffs on steel imports in Trump’s first term eventually resulted in Canada and some other nations being exempted to avoid trade chaos, however, Trump has indicated there will be no exemptions in this round of tariffs.