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'Direct attack': Canada PM Mark Carney on Trump's auto tariffs
Donald Trump announced he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move the White House claims would foster domestic manufacturing
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney on Wednesday slammed US President Donald Trump's latest auto tariffs, calling them a “direct attack” on his country. He claimed that the trade war is “hurting” Americans.
“This is a very direct attack. We will defend our workers. We will defend our companies. We will defend our country," AP quoted Carney as saying.
The Canadian prime minister said he needed to see the details of Trump's executive order before taking retaliatory measures. He called it unjustified and added he would leave the election campaign to go to Ottawa on Thursday to chair his special Cabinet committee on US relations.
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Carney earlier announced a CA$2 billion ($1.4 billion) “strategic response fund” that will protect Canadian auto jobs affected by Trump’s tariffs.
Autos are Canada’s second-largest export. Carney noted the sector employs 125,000 Canadians directly and almost another 500,000 in related industries.
“Canada will be there for auto workers,” he said.
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Trump's auto tariffs order
Earlier in the day, Trump announced he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports, a move the White House claims would foster domestic manufacturing but could also put a financial squeeze on automakers that depend on global supply chains.
“This will continue to spur growth. We'll effectively be charging a 25% tariff," AP quoted Trump as saying.
To underscore his seriousness about the tariffs directive he signed, the US president said, “This is permanent.”
Trump previously granted a one-month exemption on his stiff new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada for U.S. automakers.
According to the AP report, the Conference Board reported Tuesday that its U.S consumer confidence index fell 7.2 points in March to 92.9, the fourth straight monthly decline and its lowest reading since January of 2021.
“His trade war is hurting American consumers and workers and it will hurt more. I see that American consumer confidence is at a multi-year low,” Carney said.
The tax hike on auto imports starting in April means automakers could face higher costs and lower sales.
Trump previously placed 25% tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products — as well as on all of America’s trading partners — on April 2.
“He wants to break us so America can own us,” Carney said. “And it will never ever happen because we just don’t look out for ourselves, we look out for each other.”
(With AP inputs)
