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Trudeau barks like a big dog over tariffs: ‘Canada will not let this unjustified decision go unanswered’

March 4, 2025 | | Print Article

Canada and China both imposed new tariffs on the U.S. this Tuesday in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on them.

At the start of Tuesday, a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico went into effect, as did a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy. Meanwhile, a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods was increased to 25 percent.

The tariffs are designed to punish the three nations for not doing enough to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States.

“We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled,” the president wrote on Truth Social last week.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the new tariffs by imposing tariffs of his own on the U.S.

“Canada will not let this unjustified decision go unanswered,” he said in a statement Monday. “Should American tariffs come into effect tonight, Canada will, effective 12:01 a.m. EST tomorrow, respond with 25 per cent tariffs against $155 billion of American goods – starting with tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods immediately, and tariffs on the remaining $125 billion on American products in 21 days’ time.”

“Our tariffs will remain in place until the U.S. trade action is withdrawn, and should U.S. tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures. While we urge the U.S. administration to reconsider their tariffs, Canada remains firm in standing up for our economy, our jobs, our workers, and for a fair deal,” he added.

Trudeau also defended his country’s record on fentanyl.

“We implemented a $1.3 billion border plan with new choppers, boots on the ground, more coordination, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl,” he said. “We appointed a Fentanyl Czar, listed transnational criminal cartels as terrorist organizations, launched the Joint Operational Intelligence Cell, and are establishing a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force on organized crime.”

“Because of this work – in partnership with the United States – fentanyl seizures from Canada have dropped 97 percent between December 2024 and January 2025 to a near-zero low of 0.03 pounds seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection,” he added.

China responded similarly by launching its own tariffs.

“Minutes after President Trump’s latest tariffs took effect, … China’s Ministry of Finance put tariffs of 15 percent on imports of American chicken, wheat, corn and cotton and 10 percent tariffs on other foods, ranging from soybeans to dairy products,” according to the New York Times.

“In addition, the Ministry of Commerce said 15 U.S. companies would no longer be allowed to buy products from China except with special permission, including Skydio, which is the largest American maker of drones and a supplier to the U.S. military and emergency services,” the Times’ reporting continues.

In a statement, a spokesperson for China’s National People’s Congress slammed Trump for allegedly violating the World Trade Organization’s free trade rules.

“By imposing unilateral tariffs, the U.S. has violated W.T.O. rules and disrupted the security and stability of the global industrial and supply chains,” they said.

Meanwhile, in related news, billionaire investor Warren Buffett accused Trump’s tariffs of being an “act of war.”

“Tariffs are actually — we’ve had a lot of experience with them — they’re an act of war, to some degree,” he told CBS News over the weekend. “Over time, they are a tax on goods. I mean, the Tooth Fairy doesn’t pay ‘em!”

“And then what? You always have to ask that question in economics: Always say, ‘And then what?’” he added.

But appearing on CNN this Monday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick dismissed his concerns as “silly.”

“The United States of America before 1913 only had tariffs, and then we created — when we entered World War I, we all had to pitch in, and we created, of course, the brilliantly named Internal Revenue Service,” he said.

Vivek Saxena
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