Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Trump’s administration decision to impose broad tariffs on Canada by citing fentanyl is an excuse to destroy Canada’s economy and set up “annexation.”
Trudeau said it’s not clear what U.S. President Donald Trump’s goal is with the border security-related tariffs, which came in effect on March 4. Canadian goods imported in the United States are subject to a 25 percent surtax, whereas energy imports are slapped with a 10 percent surtax.
“It’s an example of not really being able to see what it is that he wants, because even the excuse that he’s giving for these tariffs today of fentanyl is completely bogus, completely unjustified, completely false,” Trudeau said in a press conference in Ottawa on March 4.
Trudeau made the comments as he is facing his last days in office, with the Liberal leadership race coming to an end on March 9.
Trudeau had announced on March 3 Canada is retaliating with 25 percent counter-tariffs targeting $155 billion of U.S. goods, with a portion taking effect on March 4 and the rest in 21 days.
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The prime minister also said his government is contemplating taking non-tariff measures but didn’t share any details.
Asked whether Trump could be seeking to kickstart renegotiations of the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade deal, Trudeau said “it’s not clear what he really wants.”
“Or maybe the only thing clear is what he said multiple times that his goal is to make the Canadian economy collapse to after talk about annexation,” he said. “That’s what he wants. So I don’t know which negotiations we could currently undertake to convince him that that’s not his goal.”
Trudeau had previously shared to a business audience behind closed doors in February that he believes Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state is a “real thing.”
This is a developing story, updates will follow.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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