Ottawa (Rural Roots Canada) – Just hours before hefty U.S. tariffs were set to take effect against most Canadian goods, President Donald Trump paused tariffs for Canada for 30 days following multiple conversations with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In a statement on social media, Trudeau announced the “proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together.” He also announced that Canada will spend $1.3 billion on a new border plan, adding more helicopters, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with the United States, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. In all, some 10,000 personnel will be working at the border.
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As well, Trudeau committed to Trump that Canada would appoint a new fentanyl czar who would be in charge of cracking down on the flow of the deadly drug, and other drugs. Canada will also list Mexican cartels, one of the top distributors of fentanyl, as terrorists under Canadian law.
Trump said in his own social media post that he was “very pleased” Canada has a plan in place to secure the northern border, adding “The tariffs announced on Saturday will be paused for a 30-day period to see whether or not a final economic deal with Canada can be structured.”
Earlier, Trump said he had a good conversation with the Prime Minister, but reiterated his desire to see Canada become the 51st state. He called Canada “very tough” to deal with and that America hadn’t been treated well by its northern neighbour. He added that Canada “doesn’t take our agricultural products, for the most part.” Canada is one of the largest agricultural trading partners with the United States. Over half of Canada’s agri-food imports originate from the U.S., while 60% of Canada’s agri-food exports go south.
The pause of the tariffs comes after a high-stakes, drama-filled weekend which brought the United States and Canada to the brink of a trade war. On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his tariff threat, slapping Canada with a 25% tariff on just about all goods effective Tuesday, February 4. Canada retaliated with 25% tariffs on $155 billion worth of American goods.
Trump also announced a pause of tariffs for Mexico, but the 10% tariff he ordered for China is still set to take effect Tuesday. The president said he planned to talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the days ahead.