As the deadline approaches, White House officials say the president may open to impose smaller tariffs
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Ottawa – Canada is making a decision for U.S. President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on Canadian imports as the clock reduces the country’s 30-day probation.
Trump vowed to start Tuesday and attacked Mexico and Canada with tariffs. He initially set the tax on all imports at 25%, except for the 10% tariff on Canadian energy.
As Tuesday’s deadline approaches, White House officials say the president may open up imposing smaller tariffs, citing efforts by Canada and Mexico to strengthen border security to address Trump’s concerns about fentanyl and immigrants entering the U.S.
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“They did a lot of things, so he’s now thinking about how he wants to play with Mexico and Canada, which is a smooth situation,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News on Sunday.
“Tues will be made in Mexico and Canada on Tuesday. It’s their identity that we will leave to the president and his team for negotiations.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet minister were sent to Washington to avoid our tariffs, and they said less than one-hundred of fentanyl and immigrants entering the United States came from Canada.
Immigration Secretary Marc Miller met with Trump’s border tsar Tom Homan last Thursday, telling the National Post that the Canadian delegation argued that some of the amount cited by the United States was inaccurate and was actually attributed to Canada, and in fact, it was from Mexico.
Miller said that while he described the meeting with Homan as a good one, there was no guarantee on the table how to avoid tariffs.
“A clear set of things can prevent tariffs from happening. ” he told the National Post last Friday.
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“We should be prepared for this and probably continue to do so for the next four years. ”
Lutnick told Fox News on Sunday that he thought Canada and Mexico were “justified” to tighten border controls, but said he felt more needed to be done to stop the flow of fentanyl.
“They just didn’t die in the United States.”
The deadly opioids have exacerbated the overdose crisis across North America, with Canadian officials saying Canada’s death toll sometimes higher than the southern border.
Trudeau appointed the so-called “Fentanyl Tsar,” one of Trump’s promises when he received a 30-day delay, and has since appointed Kevin Brosseau, who recently served as RCMP leader for two decades after he served as his deputy national security and intelligence adviser after being the RCMP leader in Manitoba.
Brosseau joined RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme in a meeting in Washington last week, trying to assure Americans that Canada’s efforts to resolve the illegal fentanyl trade.
These include Canada’s decision to list the Mexican drug cartel as a terrorist entity, another promise Trudeau made to Trump last month.
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Trudeau spent a weekend at a meeting with European leaders in London, where he vowed to retaliate against Trump following his own threat to reach Canada with tariffs. Last month, he announced that Canada would pass a 25% tariff on US goods worth $1.55 billion, but put those plans on hold once a delayed deal was reached.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called on Canada to retaliate on Sunday, saying any income it earns through the imposition of tariffs should be directed to help affected workers and provide tax relief for Canadians.
New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh asked Trudeau to work with opposition federal parties to prepare relief packages to help workers and businesses that may be injured by Trump’s trade tax.
In addition to the March 4 tariff threat, Canada and other allies have vowed for Trump to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum on March 12.
State Post
staylor@postmedia.com
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