Canada prepared to buy more from US amid Trump tariff threats: Ambassador

Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. affirmed that the country is willing to boost American imports in the wake of President-elect Trump’s threats to increase tariffs.

“We are happy to source what we can from the United States. And we have some big military procurements coming up, for example, replacing our entire submarine fleet,” Ambassador Kirsten Hillman told the Associated Press in an article published Monday.

“Maybe those are some purchases that can happen from the U.S.,” she added, noting 70 percent of Canada’s military procurement is from the U.S.

Hillman said she views Trump’s comments on spiking tariffs as a part of his “negotiating style” but emphasized it would be detrimental to citizens in both countries.

“Adding 25 percent tariffs to those products will raise the price for Americans almost immediately,” Hillman told AP. “And at a time when the cost of living is challenging, when food prices are high, it seems like the wrong direction to go in.”

Trump ran a campaign centered around economic stability with a heavy focus on decreasing everyday expenses for the average voter. But Trump has been harshly criticized by economists for proposing steep import taxes on goods from key allies and trading partners.

Hillman said Canada is willing to push back on any new tariffs from Trump.

“Canada will respond,” she said. “Therefore your number one customer will make American products more expensive and Canadians will probably look for alternatives to those products.”

Hillman insisted on maintaining a strong alliance with the U.S., she said if the relationship falters, the nation’s foreign adversaries will advance.

“If we are working at odds then frankly China wins. China is trying to drive us apart. That is clear,” Hillman stated.

“They look for every opportunity to do so. That’s not good for us, our citizens and Americans.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Topics

Canada avoids Trump's tariffs - for now

President Donald Trump stopped short of imposing tariffs on Canada on day one but said they may come as soon as 1 February.
BBC News - 22h
Canada Prepares for Trump Tariff Threat With Three-Stage Plan

Canadian officials are preparing retaliatory measures if the new U.S. administration imposes tariffs on Canadian imports.
The New York Times - 4d
Canada Readies Billions of Dollars in Retaliatory Moves to Trump Tariff Threat

The government is preparing for the possibility that the incoming U.S. administration will impose high tariffs on Canadian goods, setting the close allies up for a showdown.
The New York Times - 5d
'Nothing off the table' in Canada's response to US tariff threat

Canada will have a "robust" response if Donald Trump imposes tariffs on its goods, but Canadian leaders are split over energy as a bargaining chip.
BBC News - 6d
Canada warns of ‘tit-for-tat’ tariffs on US if Trump imposes levies

Ottawa’s energy minister calls trade tensions a ‘distraction’ from China’s rising economic and military power
Financial Times - 6d
Canada’s Trudeau Cautions U.S. Consumers to Consider Harms of Trump’s Tariff Threats

Dismissing the president’s bluster about a 51st state, the departing leader urged Americans to think about the impact of high prices that will accompany new import taxes.
Inc. - Jan. 13
Ontario leader warns of ‘pain’ for US if Trump imposes tariffs on Canada

Premier of most populous province says rhetoric clouds trade relationship worth hundreds of billions of dollars. The United States will “feel pain” if Donald Trump doesn’t back down from his ...
The Guardian - Jan. 10
Trudeau: Trump threatened to annex Canada to distract from tariffs impact

Canadian PM says ‘skilful negotiator’ Trump is trying to distract from rise in prices that would follow his proposed tariffs. The Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau , has described Donald ...
The Guardian - Jan. 9
‘A snowball’s chance in hell’: Trudeau rejects Trump threat to annex Canada

President-elect threatened to use ‘economic force’ to make northern neighbor part of US. Justin Trudeau has rejected threats from Donald Trump that the US could use “economic force” to annex its ...
The Guardian - Jan. 7
Trump cites tariffs in call to merge Canada, US

Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Trump proposes 'merged' US, Canada President-elect Trump on Monday raised the ...
The Hill - Jan. 6