U.S. President Donald Trump’s press secretary says the plan to slap Canada with punishing tariffs on Saturday is still in play.
Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House that she spoke with the president on Monday night and he indicated that Feb. 1 was “still on the books” for the introduction of damaging duties against Canada and Mexico.
Trump initially promised 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs in response to what he called the failure of both countries to curb the illegal flow of people and drugs across the border.
The president has since linked the tariff threat to economic and trade concerns with Canada and has said repeatedly that it should become the 51st state.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Monday that Canada is still trying, through diplomacy, to get Trump to hold off slapping tariffs on Canadian goods.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says the government’s goal is to avoid U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs while not saying publicly what the plan is if they are imposed.
But, if the tariffs go ahead, Canada is ready to respond with its own measures, she said.
“We will be ready for Day One,” she said.
As part of the diplomacy push, Joly said Canada is talking to allies, including the EU, the United Kingdom and Mexico, about Trump’s threatened trade action and how they could collectively respond.
Joly will also meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.
Leavitt, who is the youngest person to serve as U.S. presidential press secretary, also took questions about Trump’s pause on federal grants and loans, as well as the ramp-up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to fulfil the president’s pledge of mass deportations.
Trump has signed a stack of executive actions since returning to office as his new administration attempts to rapidly push the U.S. in a different direction.