Canada will be in a trade war with the US in the near future, says Trudeau.
Canada has imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian dollars on US imports, which are expected to remain in effect until Trump ends his trade action.
Reuters - Canada will continue a trade war with the United States for the foreseeable future, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday, a day after what he called a "colorful" call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trudeau stated that Canada will continue to discuss with senior Trump administration officials the tariffs that Washington says it will impose on Canadian imports, reiterating that his goal was to remove the measures.
"I can confirm that we will continue in a trade war initiated by the United States in the near future," he told reporters in Ottawa.
Canada imposed 25% tariffs on $30 billion worth of U.S. imports, and Trudeau said those measures would remain in place until the Trump administration ended its trade action.
Trudeau and Trump -- who accuses Canada of not doing enough to stop the flow of fentanyl and illegal immigrants across the border -- held a 50-minute phone call on Wednesday.
"It was a colorful call. It was also a very substantial call," Trudeau said, adding that the two sides were in negotiations but had nothing to announce yet.
"We are... trying to ensure that these tariffs do not unduly harm certain sectors, especially in the short term."
One topic of conversation is the possible postponement of the second round of 25% tariffs on another $125 billion Canadian dollar worth of US imports, which are due to take effect in less than three weeks.
Trump will exempt automakers from tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico for one month, provided they comply with existing free trade rules, the White House said Wednesday.
"Any exception that supports workers in Canada, even if it's just in one sector or another, will be a good thing," Trudeau said.
The Canadian prime minister will leave office as soon as the ruling Liberal Party chooses a new leader next Sunday. He has had a strained relationship with Trump and has taken a swipe at the president, who first made his name as a real estate mogul.
"A win-lose situation between us would actually be worse for them than a win-win situation. This is true in international trade, in relations between nation-states," he said.
"Perhaps this is not true in real estate transactions, (where) a win-lose situation is probably better for someone with business experience than a win-win situation," he added.
