Trudeau says the U.S. has launched a trade war, Canada is fighting back

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that the U.S. has launched a continental trade war and Canada is fighting back.

Speaking directly to U.S. President Donald Trump, Trudeau says enacting the tariffs “is a very dumb thing to do.”

Canada is immediately imposing 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs on $30 billion worth of American products, and will expand that to cover another $125 billion in U.S. goods in 21 days.

Trudeau also says that Canada will file claims with the World Trade Organization and through the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Free Trade Agreement.

Trudeau says that the federal government will be there to support Canadians “no matter the cost,” including with enhancements to employment insurance and measures to protect businesses from potential “predatory” takeovers.

While Trump’s order imposing the tariffs references national security concerns about drugs and illegal immigration at the Canadian border, in a post today on Truth Social he says that if companies move to the U.S. there will be no tariffs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a news conference on imposed U.S. tariffs as Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Public Safety Minister David McGuinty look on in Ottawa on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

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