By Canadian Press

Quick quotes: How Canada is reacting to Trump’s threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff

Nov 26, 2024 | 12:21 PM

OTTAWA — Here’s how notable Canadian politicians and business groups are reacting to U.S. president-elect’s threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming from Canada:

“The fact is we need them, and they also need us. Canada is the largest market for the U.S. in the world, larger than China, Japan, the U.K. and France combined.”

“This is a moment when Canada needs to be united. We need to be strong, and we need to be smart.”

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland

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“I’m calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to put partisanship aside, and in the spirit of Team Canada, to accept that he cannot go ahead with quadrupling the carbon tax to 61 cents a litre.”

“Next, he has to cancel all tax increases; tax increases on work, investment and making stuff in Canada.”

“I don’t want to stop drug overdoses to please Donald Trump. I want to stop drug overdoses so that there’s not one more mother with her face buried in a pillow, sobbing that she just lost her kid.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre

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“We want to have a strong Team Canada, Team Manitoba approach to incoming U.S. administration. This is our most important ally and our biggest trading partner by far.”

“It would mean a recession for our province. We can’t have that happening, especially as we’re starting to make progress on health care, education and making a lot of good investments. We want to keep that momentum going.”

“First and foremost, hitting that target of two per cent spending on defence. That gets us in the game just to be taken seriously as a security partner with the U.S. If we don’t do it, it’s going to become a trade problem.”

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew

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“We buy more American stuff than France, than China and Japan and the United Kingdom combined. So, we are negotiating, I believe, from a position of strength. But also Americans are dependent on what we produce.”

B.C. Premier David Eby

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“It’s like a family member stabbing you right in the heart.”

“To compare us to Mexico is the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard from our friends and closest allies, the United States of America.”

“A message to president-elect Trump: there’s no closer ally, there’s no other country in the world that has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our American counterparts, our friends, our family.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford

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“The incoming U.S. administration has valid concerns related to illegal activities at our shared border. We are calling on the federal government to work with the incoming administration to resolve these issues immediately, thereby avoiding any unnecessary tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith

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“We have, from Quebec to (the) United States, $87 billion of exportation and only $43 billion of importation. So we cannot start a war and we have to do everything we can to not have these tariffs.”

Quebec Premier François Legault

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“Imposing tariffs wouldn’t just harm Canada’s economy — it would also hurt U.S. manufacturers by increasing their costs and disrupting the deeply integrated supply chains that make North American manufacturing globally competitive.”

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters

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“Being America’s ‘nice neighbour’ won’t get us anywhere in this situation. President-elect Trump’s intention to impose 25 per cent tariffs signals that the U.S.-Canada trade relationship is no longer about mutual benefit. To him, it’s about winners and losers — with Canada on the losing end.”

“We’re facing a significant shift in the relationship between longstanding allies. Canada’s signature approach needs to evolve: we must be prepared to take a couple of punches if we’re going to stake out our position. It’s time to trade ‘sorry’ for ‘sorry, not sorry.'”

Candace Laing, Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO

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“The damage from such tariffs will not stop at the workplace. Families will feel the economic strain, and entire communities will suffer as good jobs disappear and opportunities shrink. This is not just a trade issue; it’s about protecting the future of workers and their families.”

“In the long term, the government must focus on a new industrial strategy for Canada to protect our workers from the whims of any U.S. administration. We call on the government to send a clear message: we will not let our workers and industries become collateral damage, we will stand strong, act boldly, and prioritize Canadian workers.”

Bea Bruske, Canadian Labour Congress president

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024.

Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press