U.S. president Donald Trump delivered on his threats to launch a trade war on Canada Saturday.
Several unnamed senior officials told major North American news outlets that a blanket 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods entering the U.S. would be in place by Tuesday.
The White House did not release details or breakdowns across sectors or industries, but Canadian officials say any tariff will immediately harm the Canadian economy and will be met with retaliatory measures.
Trump’s administration said the move was partly engineered to punish Canada for the “flow of fentanyl” into the U.S. even though there were just 82 fentanyl seizure events at northern border crossings logged in 2024. Trump suggested energy imports would see a 10 per cent tariff, despite his country’s demonstrated reliance on Canadian oil and gas.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several ministers have promised retaliatory tariffs if Trump followed through on his threats, with an official response from the PMO expected Saturday evening. In turn, unnamed U.S. sources said the 25 per cent number would rise if Canada retaliated.
Trump had been touting false rhetoric around “unfair” trade practices through his re-election campaign, suggesting Canada has been “ripping off” the United States. He has falsely claimed a trade deficit as high as $200 billion, despite 2024 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau showing a deficit closer to $55 billion.
We will update this story once the PMO tables a response.
