WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will implement 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports on Saturday as promised, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday — while insisting the move won't trigger a trade war with America's closest neighbours.
"I was just with the president in the Oval Office and I can confirm that tomorrow, the Feb. 1 deadline that President Trump put into place in a statement several weeks ago continues," Leavitt said.
Earlier Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is ready to deliver a "purposeful, forceful but reasonable immediate" response to the tariffs. The federal government has said it has multiple options for retaliatory tariffs ready to deploy, depending on what Trump ultimately does.
Leavitt denied Trump's tariffs would cause a trade war, saying Trump would respond to Trudeau's comments about Canada's response "in due time."
"The president is intent on doing this and I think Justin Trudeau would be wise to talk to President Trump directly before pushing outlandish comments like that to the media," she said.
Trump will hit Mexico and Canada with 25 per cent tariffs and China will see an additional 10 per cent tariff, Leavitt said. She linked the duties to fentanyl entering the United States.
The volume of drugs entering the United States from Canada is minuscule compared to the amounts coming from Mexico and China.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures show that officials seized 9,930 kilograms of fentanyl at American borders between October 2023 and September 2024. Only 20 kilograms of that amount came from Canada.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that while her government awaits a tariff announcement with a "cool head," it also has prepared plans to respond.
Leavitt did not say whether there will be exemptions to the tariffs. Trump said Thursday he was still considering whether oil would be affected. It will be the president's prerogative to decide when or how to roll the tariffs back, Leavitt said.
Trudeau met with a Canada-U. S. cabinet committee Friday as key ministers made a last-ditch attempt to stop Trump's tariff plan in Washington, D.C.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Immigration Minister Marc Miller were making a final diplomatic push this week to convince Republican lawmakers and Trump's team to sway the president.
It's not clear whether Republicans can affect the president's actions. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday it's ultimately Trump's call.
The tariffs are “not hostile moves," Rubio said on The Megyn Kelly Show, adding he doesn’t think Canada poses a strategic threat to the United States. Pointing to his meeting with Joly earlier this week, Rubio said Canada and the U.S. have shared interests along the border.
“They’re good friends. I mean, we work with them on a lot of things,” he said. “We have a deep partnership with them … but there are some issues we’re going to need to address.”
Trump initially claimed his tariff threat was in response to a failure by Canada and Mexico to curb the illegal flow of people and drugs across the border. His complaints have since expanded to include trade deficits and national defence spending.
Canada responded to Trump's concerns with a $1.3 billion border security plan.
Trudeau, speaking before the meeting of the Council on Canada-U. S. Relations in Toronto on Friday, said devastating duties are "not what we want, but if he moves forward, we will also act."
Trudeau acknowledged Canada "could be facing difficult times in the coming days and weeks."
"I won't sugarcoat it," he said.
Premiers have disagreed on how Canada should respond if Trump follows through on his threats. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe have said exports of oil and other resources should not be included in retaliation plans.
Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford called for a dollar-to-dollar tariff response during a campaign stop in Niagara Falls, Ont.
Ultimately, Ford said, provincial and territorial leaders remain united.
"We have to show strength, being united, and emphasize to the federal government that we have to retaliate hard. Not soft, hard," Ford said.
— With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2025.
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
