For over a year, Canada has worked intensively and in good faith with the United States to negotiate a new comprehensive trade deal. We have been pragmatic, patient, and persistent. Our goal has always been to get the best deal for Canadians, never a deal at any price or on any time frame.
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Late last evening I instructed our negotiators to return to Ottawa. We cannot accept what the U.S. has offered, and we will not give what they have asked.ย
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Canada will match the U.S.โ new tariffs dollar for dollar in order to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses. We take this step confident that it is in the best interests of Canada.ย
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In the coming days, we will release the details of these new tariff measures, which will come into force the Tuesday after Labour Day.
The thing is, this isnโt even predicated on Trump reneging on anything, though he most certainly will. This is the formal order of business, to which the government of Canada has already agreed.
I say this not as criticism. That can come later, when we find out what the terms are. I merely point out how absurd the whole situation is, and how lethal the Trump administrationโs intentions are.
This is not going to end with a tidy little package of concessions โ things we should want to do anyway, or measures we only enacted as retaliation for theirs. They want to use trade as a weapon of foreign policy โ theyโve said so, explicitly โ with the declared intent of domination, at a minimum.
So these demands are a foretaste; they will escalate from here. This is only the beginning of a long struggle.