Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada rebuked President Trump directly on Tuesday over sweeping new tariffs and pledged to “relentlessly” battle to protect his country’s economy. “A fight with Canada will have no winners,” Mr. Trudeau said, just days before he is set to step down as prime minister.
Speaking at a news conference in Ottawa, the Canadian capital, and flanked by senior members of his cabinet, Mr. Trudeau labeled a trade war between the North American neighbors “very dumb” and portrayed Mr. Trump’s motives in attacking Canada, one of the United States’ closest allies, as furthering the territorial aggression that the American president has repeatedly expressed toward its northern neighbor.
“What he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy, because that’ll make it easier to annex us,” said Mr. Trudeau said, adding, “We will never be the 51st state.”
“When it comes to defending our great nation, there is no price we all aren’t willing to pay,” he said.
After U.S. tariffs of 25 percent on almost all Canadian goods took effect at midnight on Tuesday, Mr. Trudeau imposed retaliatory tariffs that amount to about $20.5 billion and has promised another $85 billion in tariffs in three weeks if the United States did not back down.
Mr. Trudeau, whose country is home to the largest Ukrainian diaspora outside of Russia, also raised questions about Mr. Trump’s foreign policy priorities in pursuing a deal to end the war started by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada,” he said. “At the same time, they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin — a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense.”
During Mr. Trump’s first term, Mr. Trudeau went out of his way to avoid publicly responding to taunts by Mr. Trump or publicly challenging the president’s exaggerations and false statements.
But since Mr. Trump announced in November his plan to impose tariffs on Canada, as well as Mexico and China, Mr. Trudeau has adopted an increasingly aggressive tone, escalating his accusations in early January after announcing that he was would quit his post. That decision came in the context of a drastic decline in his popularity and political infighting in his Liberal party that led to the resignation of Chrystia Freeland, his finance minister and deputy prime minister.
But the prime minister’s comments on Tuesday reflected the prevailing mood in Canada, where economic anxiety over the economic effects of American tariffs has sparked a surge of patriotism and widespread anger, and fueled boycotts of U.S. goods and travel.
Mr. Trudeau repeatedly suggested that Mr. Trump was ignoring the wishes of Americans and not acting in their interest, a notable departure from the restraint Canadian leaders have long exercised in commenting on domestic American affairs.
Directly addressing “the American people,” Mr. Trudeau said that the tariffs would increase their cost of living under undermine their security. “Your government has chosen to do this to you,” he said.
On Russia, Mr. Trudeau asked, “How do Americans feel about jettisoning one’s friends and allies in favor of a country that has never wished Americans well and continues to act in ways that harm the global economy and specifically the American economy and American values and principles?”
Mr. Trudeau suggested that he had been unable to speak with Mr. Trump since their last telephone call on Feb. 22.
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