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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dined with Donald Trump on Friday, after the US president-elect threatened to hit Canadian imports with excessive tariffs on the primary day of his presidency.
The assembly at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida made Trudeau the primary G7 world chief to go to Trump following his victory on this month’s US presidential election. Phone calls between the 2 adopted because the Canadian prime minister tried to keep away from a North American commerce struggle.
Also attending the occasion had been Trump’s nominee for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who may have an necessary function in overseeing commerce, his nominee for National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and his nominee for Secretary of State. inside Doug Burgum, in accordance with sources aware of the matter.
The Canadian delegation, which included Trudeau’s chief of workers Katie Telford and Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, didn’t keep at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, however at one other resort in Palm Beach.
Trump’s transition staff didn’t reply to requests for remark. On his Truth Social community, Trump posted that he had an “attention-grabbing particular visitor” at his desk.
With an attention-grabbing particular visitor at Trump’s head desk at Mar-A-Lago pic.twitter.com/SxzYp8ZrR0
— Post by Donald J. Trump from his Truth Social (@TrumpEvery dayPosts) November 30, 2024
Earlier within the week, Trump threatened to impose a 25 p.c tax on all items imported from Canada and Mexico until each nations stopped what he referred to as an “invasion” of medication into the United States, “specifically of Fentanyl”, and of “all unlawful aliens”. ”.
The Canadian authorities mentioned Wednesday it is going to strengthen border safety after Trudeau met with Canadian provincial leaders to agree on a unified response to Trump’s threats.
The border between the United States and Canada is the longest on the planet and stretches for nearly 9,000 km between land and water. Security on the bottom is poor, there are few partitions or fences and in some locations it’s marked by easy stone markers alongside residential streets.
According to Tony Stillo, economics director at Oxford Economics, world tariffs of 25% would push Canada right into a recession in 2025, trigger a pointy rise in inflation and drive the Bank of Canada to maintain charges greater subsequent yr.
“Canada’s vitality, automotive and different heavy manufacturing sectors could be most affected by U.S. world tariffs as a result of excessive diploma of cross-border commerce in these sectors. These sectors rely closely on exports to the United States, but in addition get hold of a large share of their inputs from the United States, making them extremely uncovered to tariffs,” he mentioned.
Canada is leveraged in commerce relations by $1.3 trillion yearly, notably via its vitality sector. Canada provides 60% of US crude oil imports.
Lisa Baiton, head of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, mentioned: “A 25% tariff on oil and pure fuel would possible lead to decrease manufacturing in Canada and elevated gasoline and vitality prices for customers Americans.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith posted on X that the primary subject of dialogue between Trump and Trudeau was oil and fuel pipelines.
“This demonstrates as soon as once more that the trail to a powerful financial and safety relationship with the United States is straight tied to our nation’s dedication to offering the United States with the oil and fuel wanted to realize its safety targets vitality and affordability,” he mentioned.
Smith urged Prime Minister Trudeau to abolish Canada’s carbon emissions targets and “start work on further pipeline infrastructure” between Canada and the United States.
This is not the primary time Trudeau has confronted Trump’s “America First” commerce coverage. In 2017, the then-president pushed to renegotiate the 20-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, which he described as a “catastrophe” that, together with China, had hollowed out the U.S. manufacturing sector.
During his earlier time period Trump had additionally chastised Trudeau for Canada’s protection spending, which fell wanting NATO’s 2% goal. Canada is rising its protection price range, however Trudeau mentioned at a NATO summit in July that the objective wouldn’t be reached till 2032.
