Canada dodges full force of Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs

TRENTON, Canada

Canada dodged the full force of a bullet from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs Wednesday, but there was enough of a hit that it will hurt millions of Canadians.

A tariff of 10% for goods under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was avoided, but other goods not covered by the agreement will be subjected to a 25% tariff and 10% on energy and potash. It also appears that there will be a 25% tariff on foreign car imports as of 12.01 a.m. Thursday. A 25% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum remains in effect.

While Canada and Mexico appear to have escaped the worst of the tariffs announced on “Liberation Day,” as Trump called it, the pain will be felt, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to strike back.

“We are going to fight these tariffs (and) we are going to build the strongest economy in the G7,” Carney pledged in a short address to reporters before going into a meeting of the cabinet committee on Canada-US relations.

But he said there was no doubt that as things stand, there will be a negative effect in Canada.

“There will be impacts on millions of Canadians across the country,” Carney said, adding that he will impose countermeasures “with purpose and force” while creating support for adversely affected workers.

Carney said Trump has turned things upside down worldwide.

“(Trump) has changed the international trading system in a fundamental way,” he said.

Carney is expected to make public a more detailed response after meeting Thursday with the premiers of Canada’s 10 provinces and three territories.