Trudeau Tells Americans: 'Your government has chosen to do this to you'
The prime minister committed to providing assistance to Canadian workers facing challenging circumstances.
TroibNews 
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned President Donald Trump for initiating a trade war with Canada, asserting his intent not to retreat in the face of tariff conflicts with the United States.
“Today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada. At the same time, they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin — a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” Trudeau remarked in Ottawa.
He emphasized that while Canadians are generally polite and reasonable, they would not capitulate when their nation's interests and the welfare of its citizens are threatened. “Canadians are reasonable and we are polite, but we will not back down from a fight, not when our country and the well being of everyone in it is at stake.”
Trudeau also promised assistance to Canadian workers who find themselves affected by the trade dispute and reiterated that his disagreement was not with the American populace. “We don’t want this. We want to work with you as a friend and ally, and we don’t want to see you hurt either, but your government has chosen to do this to you,” he said.
The prime minister directed pointed comments towards the president. “It’s not in my habit to agree with The Wall Street Journal, but Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do,” Trudeau stated. “We two friends fighting is exactly what our opponents around the world want to see.”
While he acknowledged his historically productive collaboration with Trump, which dates back to 2016—including the renegotiation of a free-trade agreement that Trump has described as the “fairest, most balanced, and beneficial trade agreement we have ever signed into law”—Canada still proceeded to impose 25 percent tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of goods on Tuesday.
Addressing Trump directly, Trudeau called for a change in approach: “We have done big things together on the world stage, as Canada and the U.S. have done together for decades, for generations, and now we should be working together to ensure even greater prosperity for North Americans in a very uncertain and challenging world.”
Following Trudeau's statements, Trump responded on social media, indicating that he plans to impose reciprocal tariffs "by a like amount" on Canada in response to their "retaliatory tariffs."
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
“Today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada. At the same time, they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin — a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” Trudeau remarked in Ottawa.
He emphasized that while Canadians are generally polite and reasonable, they would not capitulate when their nation's interests and the welfare of its citizens are threatened. “Canadians are reasonable and we are polite, but we will not back down from a fight, not when our country and the well being of everyone in it is at stake.”
Trudeau also promised assistance to Canadian workers who find themselves affected by the trade dispute and reiterated that his disagreement was not with the American populace. “We don’t want this. We want to work with you as a friend and ally, and we don’t want to see you hurt either, but your government has chosen to do this to you,” he said.
The prime minister directed pointed comments towards the president. “It’s not in my habit to agree with The Wall Street Journal, but Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do,” Trudeau stated. “We two friends fighting is exactly what our opponents around the world want to see.”
While he acknowledged his historically productive collaboration with Trump, which dates back to 2016—including the renegotiation of a free-trade agreement that Trump has described as the “fairest, most balanced, and beneficial trade agreement we have ever signed into law”—Canada still proceeded to impose 25 percent tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of goods on Tuesday.
Addressing Trump directly, Trudeau called for a change in approach: “We have done big things together on the world stage, as Canada and the U.S. have done together for decades, for generations, and now we should be working together to ensure even greater prosperity for North Americans in a very uncertain and challenging world.”
Following Trudeau's statements, Trump responded on social media, indicating that he plans to impose reciprocal tariffs "by a like amount" on Canada in response to their "retaliatory tariffs."
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
