By Kyle Duggan
Ottawa held its fire for a second day in a row Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump doubled his steel and aluminum tariffs to 50 per cent — despite numerous calls for Canada to swiftly retaliate with new tariffs of its own.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is said to be engaging in behind-the-scenes trade discussions with Trump.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly emerged from meetings with major CEOs from the steel sector and organized labour today without announcing any concrete action following calls for retaliation against new U.S. tariffs.
The steel industry says the tariffs could have catastrophic consequences and is asking Canada to match U.S. President Donald Trump‘s expanded tariffs on steel and aluminum.
The president doubled those tariffs for almost all imports to 50 per cent on Wednesday.
Joly says the new tariffs are “completely unacceptable” and insists the government is in a solutions mode with the industry but had no solutions to offer today.
Earlier today Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Prime Minister Mark Carney is in “deep discussions” on trade with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ford says he told Carney on Wednesday that the best outcome would be a swift deal with the U.S. that would end Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products but if that doesn’t happen in the next few days Canada should “come out guns a-blazing” and match Trump’s 50 per cent steel and aluminum tariffs with retaliatory levies of its own.
— With files from Allison Jones in Toronto
