Canada’s finance minister cited President-elect Trump’s tariff threats in his resignation letter Monday.
“Today, our country faces a serious challenge,” Chrystia Freeland wrote in a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “The incoming U.S. administration is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including the threat of 25% tariffs.”
“We have to take that threat very seriously,” she added. “That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today so we have the reserves we may need for the coming tariff war. “This means avoiding costly political tricks that we cannot afford and that leave Canadians wondering whether we recognize the seriousness of the moment.”
In an article posted on Truth Social last month, the president-elect announced that he would impose a 25% tariff on products from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% tariff on products from China.
The purpose of the tariffs, according to Trump, is to pressure countries to increase their border security efforts and block fentanyl exports to the United States.
“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily resolve this long-simmering issue. We demand that they use this power, and it will be at a very high price for them to do so!” Trump said this on Truth Social:
Last week, Trump mocked Trudeau in a post on Trudeau Social, calling him the “governor” of the “great nation of Canada.”
In her letter, Freeland argued that “we must fight ‘America First’ economic nationalism with a determined effort to fight for capital, investment, and the jobs they bring.”
“That means working in good faith and humility with the premiers of our great and diverse country and building a true Team Canada response,” she added.
The Hill has reached out to Trudeau’s office and the Trump transition team for comment.
