In a speech to Canadians, prime minister Justin Trudeau directly addressed Donald Trump, saying that his decision to impose tariffs on one of the United State’s top trading partners is “a very dumb thing to do”.
“Now, it’s not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal, but Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do. We two friends fighting is exactly what our opponents around the world want to see,” said Trudeau.
The prime minister added that he would challenge the US tariffs at the World Trade Organization and through the free trade agreement covering the two countries. Canada has already retaliated with tariffs on $30bn Canadian dollars of US goods, and threatened to impose levies of $125bn Canadian dollars in 21 days’ time.
“Our tariffs will remain in place until the US tariffs are withdrawn, and not a moment sooner. And should these tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures, measures which will demonstrate that there are no winners in a trade war,” Trudeau said.
