This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for Canada and workers must be front and centre of any decision from the government’
Various groups are calling on the federal government to take decisive action following US president-elect Donald Trump’s threat of imposing punishing economic sanctions against Canada.
Trump has threatened to slap a 25-per-cent tariff on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico on Jan. 20, 2025, when he will be inaugurated — unless the two countries can put a stop to the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders, according to a CBC report.
"This tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country!" Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
"Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!"
Canada responds to Trump’s threat
In response to the threat, Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister and minister of finance, and Dominic LeBlanc, minister of public safety, said in a joint statement that “Canada and the United States have one of the strongest and closest relationships – particularly when it comes to trade and border security”.
“Canada places the highest priority on border security and the integrity of our shared border,” they said.
Law enforcement agencies from our respective countries – the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and US Customs and Border Protection – “work together every single day to disrupt the scourge of the fentanyl coming from China and other countries,” they said.
“In addition, the CBSA is continuously strengthening its ability to detect opioids through enhanced inspections at ports of entry, detector dogs, and emerging technologies, preventing opioids from entering and leaving Canada.
“We will of course continue to discuss these issues with the incoming administration.”
Trump tariffs called ‘direct attack on workers’
However, labour groups are hoping that Canada will have a better way of handling the situation.
“Donald Trump’s threat of a 25% tariff on Canadian products is a direct attack on workers,” said the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). “This poses a serious and immediate risk to Canadian jobs, livelihoods, and entire communities. This attack on our industries jeopardizes good, unionized jobs across vital sectors like manufacturing, mining, energy, and agriculture—jobs that are the backbone of our economy.”
The CLC wants the government to take “decisive action to safeguard jobs, defend industries, develop an industrial strategy, and prevent working families from bearing the brunt of reckless and unnecessary trade policies”.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for Canada and workers must be front and centre of any decision from the government.”
Candace Laing, Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, says that “being America’s ‘nice neighbour’ won’t get us anywhere in this situation,” according to a report from The Canadian Press posted on Chat News Today.
“We’re facing a significant shift in the relationship between longstanding allies. Canada’s signature approach needs to evolve: we must be prepared to take a couple of punches if we’re going to stake out our position. It’s time to trade ‘sorry’ for ‘sorry, not sorry.'”
Premiers call for ‘strong Team Canada’
Canadian premiers are also calling for action from the federal government.
“We want to have a strong Team Canada, Team Manitoba approach to incoming U.S. administration,” said Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, according to the same CP report.. “This is our most important ally and our biggest trading partner by far.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also said that “the incoming U.S. administration has valid concerns related to illegal activities at our shared border”.
“We are calling on the federal government to work with the incoming administration to resolve these issues immediately, thereby avoiding any unnecessary tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S.,” she said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now set to meet with the country's premiers this afternoon, after they asked for an urgent meeting on U.S.-Canada relations, according to CTV News.
Canadian employers’ use of “unlimited” cheap labour could be coming to an end as the federal government looks to crack down on “exploitative” conditions within the immigration process, the federal government previously noted.
