VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canada’s outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that “nothing is off the table” when it comes to responding to proposed tariffs by President-elect Donald Trump, but that no single region of the country should bear the full brunt of that response.
Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian imports.
“We have to respond to the challenge we’re facing,” Trudeau said following a five-hour meeting in Ottawa with Canada’s provincial premiers to discuss Trump’s threats. “We also have to make sure the burden is shared across the country.
“We can’t punish just one region, because tariffs have more impact on that region,” Trudeau said.
Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford said the provinces need to be united in their response to Trump’s threats.
“The retaliatory tariffs need to be hard,” said Ford, who spoke to the media prior to the meeting. He donned a hat that said that “Canada Is Not For Sale.”
“We have to send a message,” he said.
Also on Wednesday, Canada’s Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson warned U.S. lawmakers in Washington that Trump’s tariff threats would inflict economic pain on Americans, with higher prices and job losses.
Trump, who will be inaugurated on Monday, has said he will use economic coercion to pressure Canada to become the nation’s 51st state. He also continues to erroneously cast the U.S. trade deficit with Canada — a natural resource-rich nation that provides the U.S. with commodities like oil — as a subsidy.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian ($2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.
It has been suggested Canada could stop energy shipments to the United States, a move opposed by Daniele Smith, the premier of Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta.
In a statement posted on X, Smith said she agrees with several strategies that were discussed during Wednesday’s meeting.
“Alberta will simply not agree to export tariffs on our energy or other products, nor do we support a ban on exports of these same products,” said Smith, who attended the meeting virtually and did not sign the final news release.
“Until these threats cease, Alberta will not be able to fully support the federal government’s plan in dealing with the threatened tariffs,” Smith said.
Almost a quarter of the oil the U.S. consumes every day is from Canada, with Alberta exporting 4.3 million barrels a day to the U.S. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. consumes about 20 million barrels a day, while domestically producing about 13.2 million barrels a day.
During the news conference, Quebec Premier François Legault was asked if he would support halting hydroelectric or aluminum shipments to the U.S.
“We first have to see what Mr. Trump does,” said Legault. “But what I’m seeing is nothing is off the table.”
Also on Wednesday, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty said Ottawa will add 60 new drones at the Canada-U.S. border and will deploy two new helicopters this week as it moves to ratchet up security.
The Liberal government pledged close to $1 billion to border upgrades after Trump expressed concerns about the flow of migrants and illegal drugs into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico.