Donald Trump signals 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports could be coming Feb. 1

Posted January 20, 2025 4:00 am.
Last Updated January 21, 2025 2:26 am.
WASHINGTON ā U.S. President Donald Trump suggested his administration could move ahead with with 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on Canadian imports on Feb. 1.
He delivered the deadline on Monday evening at the White House as he signed a stack of unrelated executive orders.
āWe are thinking in terms of 25 per cent on Mexico and Canada because they are allowing vast number of people, Canada is a very bad abuser also, vast numbers of people to come in and fentanyl to come in,ā he told reporters Monday night.
The February date comes after Trump officials, speaking anonymously, suggested to reporters that the Republican president would only sign a memorandum telling federal agencies to study trade issues, including alleged unfair trade and currency practices by Canada, Mexico and China.
An executive order from the president late Monday mandating the studies set an April 1 deadline for the reports ā well after his suggestion that tariffs will happen in February.
Trump also said he may consider imposing a universal tariff on all countries.
āWeāre not ready for that yet,ā Trump said. āEssentially all countries take advantage of the U.S.ā
Foreign Affairs Minister MĆ©lanie Joly called it an āimportant moment for Canadiansā after Trump announced the date.
āWeāre calling on every single political leader across the board, across the country, to stand united because now more than ever, we need to make sure that we put country first,ā Joly said at a cabinet retreat in Montebello, Que.
Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Ottawa is āabsolutelyā ready for Trump tariffs, adding that Canada has responses prepared for various scenarios.
Federal government sources have said if Trump sets the tariffs at 25 per cent, Canadaās response would be to impose counter-tariffs worth roughly $37 billion, and possibly follow up with another $110 billion in tariffs. If the duties are lower, Canadaās tariff response would be more modest.
Trump, who gave his inaugural address earlier Monday in the Capitol Rotunda, focused largely on concerns about immigration at the Mexican border and touched on prosecutions of himself and his supporters. Suggesting he still has an eye on tariffs, Trump said he was going to overhaul the trade system to protect American workers and families.
āInstead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,ā he said during his inaugural address.
Federal and provincial officials in Washington were relieved that tariffs on Canadian goods were not part of Trumpās inaugural speech. But many said Canada canāt afford to be complacent ahead of what could be a brutal hit to the economy.
āItās always good news when youāre not mentioned, so I prefer that,ā said Liberal MP John McKay, who co-chairs the Canada-U.S. interparliamentary group.
In an interview inside the Canadian embassy in Washington, McKay said Ottawa has an opportunity to establish āan agreed upon set of facts, as opposed to nonsense which is currently occupying the public space.ā
Trump has insisted for weeks that Washington is subsidizing Canada at an annual rate of $100 billion, a claim McKay called ājust nonsense.ā
Trade Minister Mary Ng sought to reassure Canadians earlier Monday, saying that Ottawa and the provinces have taken a Team Canada approach to convincing Americans that tariffs and restrictions on Canadian goods would only hurt U.S. jobs.
āWe are ready and we are prepared,ā Ng said.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she saw opportunity for Canada in Trumpās speech when he said he would ādeclare a national energy emergencyā to drive down prices at the pump and āexport American energy all over the world.ā
Smith said Canada can form a āperfect partnershipā with the U.S. to provide oil and gas at stable prices, so the Americans can focus on boosting their own energy exports.
āAmericans want to have energy dominance globally, and I believe the best way for them to achieve that is for Canada to be a partner in that,ā she said.
āIf their asks are reasonable, then letās meet them halfway.ā
Last week, Smith refused to sign a joint statement with other premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that said every possible countermeasure would be on the table to push back against U.S. tariffs.
Smith, who recently travelled to Trumpās Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to meet with the president-elect, broke from the pack by refusing to consider any plan that would include possible levies on oil exports or cutting off energy supplies to the U.S.
In a statement issued Monday, Trudeau congratulated Trump on his inauguration and cited Canadaās efforts to secure the border in response to the Republican leaderās demands for a crackdown on migrants and drugs.
āWe are strongest when we work together,ā Trudeau wrote.
When asked who would be his first foreign meeting, Trump said heād already had meetings. He pointed to Trudeau, making a repeated jab about making Canada the 51st state by calling him a governor.
Mondayās inauguration presented a scene quite different from Trumpās first inauguration in 2017, when he painted a bleak picture of what he called āAmerican carnageā ā a speech that was overshadowed in the news cycle by his claims about crowd sizes.
The celebrations also offered a stark contrast to the nature of Trumpās departure from the nationās capital four years ago. In the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill attack, Trump refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election and skipped Bidenās inauguration.
Biden and his vice-president Kamala Harris, as well as former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, were in attendance on Monday inside the rotunda, as was Industry Minister FranƧois-Philippe Champagne.
Trump delivered his oath of office inside the U.S. Capitol after cold weather moved the planned ceremony indoors.
Outside, thousands of people wearing Trump tuques and hats braved the frigid weather near the Capitol One Arena, where Trump spoke later after his inaugural address.
Kenneth Johnson, visiting the capital from Boulder City, Nev., said he believes Trump will stop other countries from ātaking advantageā of the U.S. and bring down the cost of groceries.
āWeāre getting rid of the corruption. Weāre getting rid of the baloney,ā he said, citing President Joe Bidenās last-minute pardon of administration officials who might face retribution from Trump.
āOur nationās going to be back under control,ā Johnson said.
Daniel Blake travelled from Connecticut to take in the moment and celebrate with others excited about the promise of smaller government.
āWe basically waste our taxpayer money, so Iām excited about that,ā he said.
ā With files from Dylan Robertson and Catherine Morrison in Ottawa, Kyle Duggan in Montebello, Que. and The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2025.
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press