Canada will respond immediately and strongly if the United States imposes tariffs, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, warning Canadians that they could face difficult times.
Trudeau told an advisory council on Canada-U.S. relations that this is a critical moment for the country.
“We are prepared to respond – a purposeful, forceful but reasonable, urgent response. That is not what we want, but if he moves forward, we will act,” the Canadian prime minister stressed, in response to US President Donald Trump setting a Saturday deadline for imposing a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico.
Trump says he wants stronger action to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and the deadly opioid fentanyl into the United States.
Canada sends 75 percent of its goods and services to the United States and its economy would be hit hard by Trump’s tariffs.
