Ottawa/CMEDIA: Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he was “shocked” that Canada wasn’t included in U.S. President Donald Trump’s 90-day tariff pause.
The exclusion comes as a blow to Canadian officials and manufacturers, many of whom hoped for relief amid rising trade tensionsand inflationary pressures.
“We were shocked that we weren’t part of the group, per se. And you know, (we’re theUnited States’) number one customer — we’re both each other’s number one customer — and we need to get through this and bring certainty back to the people of the United States and Canada,” Ford reportedly said in an interview.
Ford’s comments reflect growing concern among Canadian leaders in Ford’s comments about the future of cross-border trade and economic stability in light of the U.S. administration’s aggressive tariff policies.
He was relieved, said Ford, that Canada was left out of the duties announced last week, but it is unacceptable that tariffs that remain on Canadian goods
“The reality is, a tariff on Canada is a tax on Americans, and that’s the last thing we want to see (for) the American people,” Ford said Thursday, adding that he still believes the Canadian government would drop its retaliatory tariffs if the U.S. ends the trade war.
While being exempt from those levies, the 25 per cent U.S. tariff on autos, steel and aluminum, and goods non-compliant with the North American trade pact remain in place for Canada
Hit back with its own retaliatory tariffs on $60 billion worth of American goods, Ford said that Canada reportedly stands prepared to unleash $95 billion more if the U.S. trade war continues.
