Prime Minister Mark Carney says the Canadian government remains “laser focused” on what they can control.
President Trump has announced an increase to 35% on duty for Canadian exports not covered under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.
In a statement on Friday, Carney says, “While the government is disappointed by this action, we remain committed to CUSMA, which is the world’s second-largest free trade agreement by trading volume.”
The prime minister adds the average tariff rate on our goods remains one of the lowest for all of the U.S.’s trading partners.
However, he says for heavily impacted sectors like lumber, steel, aluminum, and automobiles, the feds “will act to protect Canadian jobs, invest in our industrial competitiveness, buy Canadian, and diversify our export markets.”
Carney says they “will continue to negotiate with the United States on our trading relationship” and focus on building Canada strong.
Carney says, “Canadians will be our own best customer, creating more well-paying careers at home, as we strengthen and diversify our trading partnerships throughout the world. We can give ourselves more than any foreign government can ever take away by building with Canadian workers and by using Canadian resources to benefit all Canadians.”
