Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday evening vowed to ‘fight’ the new round of tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, and said he would turn to other international partners to get through the rocky times ahead.
‘President Trump has just announced a series of measures that are going to fundamentally change the international trading system,’ Carney told reporters following Trump’s Rose Garden announcement. ‘We’re in a situation where there’s going to be an impact on the U.S. economy, which will build with time.
‘In our judgment, it will be negative on the U.S. economy that will have an impact on us,’ he added, noting millions of Canadians will be impacted.
While Trump did not issue any additional tariffs against Canada following the 25% tariffs already in place on all Canadian imports, the 10% tariff on its energy exports and the blanket tariff on all aluminum and steel, he did announce a 25% tariff on all foreign vehicle imports.
He also pointed out that Trump said there could be future targeted tariffs against pharmaceutical companies, lumber and semiconductors — tariffs that will have wide affect on U.S. trading partners beyond Canada and Mexico, but across Europe and Asia.
‘In a crisis, it’s important to come together,’ Carney said. ‘It’s essential to act with purpose and with force, and that’s what we will do.’
Before the tariff announcement, Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said at an election campaign event on Wednesday that he supports ‘targeted, reciprocal’ tariffs on American goods — and if his party wins the general election on April 28 and he becomes prime minister, he would like to sit down with President Donald Trump and create a new trade deal, replacing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which the president signed in 2020.
Poilievre also said that Canada must maintain control of its border and freshwater and protect both its automotive industry and supply-managed farm sectors.
David Adams, president and CEO of Global Automakers of Canada — a national trade association representing the Canadian interests of 16 automakers, including BMW Canada, Inc. and Nissan Canada Inc. — said in a statement, ‘Tariffs are taxes that hurt consumers by increasing costs, driving up inflation, and unfairly impacting workers on both sides of the border.’
‘Governments should look to long-term solutions to remove these tariffs, prioritizing the elimination of regulatory barriers to industry competitiveness and providing automakers with flexibilities to respond in these uncertain times.’
Reactions from European Union leaders began to emerge following Trump’s announcement that he will hit the EU with 20% tariffs on all imported goods, with disappointment, concern and commitments to continue negotiations with the U.S.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, generally seen as a Trump ally, said Trump’s tariffs were ‘wrong’ and warned they would not only harm American and European pocketbooks, but aid Western adversaries.
‘We will do everything we can to work towards an agreement with the United States, with the goal of avoiding a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favor of other global players,’ Meloni said in a statement on Facebook.
‘In any case, as always, we will act in the interest of Italy and its economy, also engaging with other European partners,’ she added.
Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister, Simon Harris, said he ‘deeply regret[s]’ the new tariffs but said he is committed to working with Washington to end this tariff war.
‘I must be honest tonight that a 20% blanket tariff on goods from all EU countries could have a significant effect on Irish investment and the wider economy,’ he said, noting the effects would ‘likely be felt for some time.’
Chairman of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee Bernd Lange called for a united response from countries targeted by Trump.
‘While President Trump might call today ‘Liberation Day,’ from an ordinary citizen’s point of view this is ‘Inflation Day,’ he said, reported Reuters. ‘Because of this decision, U.S. consumers will be forced to carry the heaviest burden in a trade war.’
Lange said the EU will respond through ‘legal, legitimate, proportionate and decisive’ measures.
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter said her government would work to figure out the next steps.
The U.K., along with the president of Mexico ahead of the announcement, said they would continue to work with the U.S. and would not rush to enforce reciprocal tariffs.
Similarly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that while Trump’s decision was ‘not the act of a friend,’ his country would not impose reciprocal tariffs, reported Reuters.
He reportedly condemned the U.S. tariffs as totally unwarranted and said Australia will continue to negotiate to have the tariffs lifted.
