Trump slaps 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports 'without exceptions'
President said 'I don't mind,' when asked about countries retaliating
U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on recent threats Monday evening and signed orders imposing 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports — including from Canada.
The tariffs are scheduled to take effect March 12. This guarantees a frantic few weeks as Canada and other countries scramble to be exempted from a series of trade penalties threatened by Trump — including the economy-wide tariffs he has paused but is still threatening to reimpose across North America.
In the Oval Office, Trump said the tariffs would be imposed "without exceptions or exemptions."
He said the orders are "the beginning of making America rich again."
Trump said the tariffs are meant to encourage production in the U.S. while taking another jab at Canada by suggesting the country become the 51st state.
"All you have to do is make it in the United States. We don't need it from another country," he said.
"If we make it in the United States we don't need it to be made in Canada. We'll have the jobs, that's why Canada should be our 51st state."
The text of the formal order released Monday night complained of a spike in metals imports from Mexico and Canada in recent years, and in particular about unfairly traded Chinese products making their way into the U.S. through Mexico. It said the president would rescind previous exemptions granted to North American countries and several others around the world.
Tariff date pushed back
The order also set a later-than-expected implementation date.
The shifting date signalled some last-minute uncertainty Monday in drafting the order. Reporters were initially told the tariffs would kick in on March 4, but the timing was pushed back over a week by the time the formal documents were released late Monday night.
Trump had told reporters Sunday that he would be signing the orders regarding steel and aluminum tariffs when he returned to Washington after attending the Super Bowl.
Trump signed the tariff orders while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Paris for an artificial intelligence summit.
Earlier Monday, Trudeau did not respond to reporters' questions about Trump's threats as he walked into his hotel following a reception. A senior Canadian government official told CBC News that Ottawa was waiting to see the tariffs in writing before responding.
After the orders were signed, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the government will be examining the details and consulting with international partners.
"We will continue to stand up for Canada, support our workers and defend our industries," the minister said in a statement.
"Canadian steel and aluminum support key industries in the U.S. from defence, shipbuilding, energy to automotive."
Ottawa did not get a heads up about these new tariffs from the White House, a senior Canadian government source told CBC News.
The government is under pressure from industry and the opposition to retaliate with swift countermeasures.
Catherine Cobden, the head of the Canadian Steel Producers Association, has warned tariffs would hit a wide spectrum of industries from energy to construction.
Cobden told CBC's Power & Politics that tariffs during Trump's first term were "devastating to the industry on both sides of the border."
"We have steel that they need and they have steel that we need … we need each other," Cobden told guest host Catherine Cullen.
"If we don't get out of this, we need to retaliate hard and fast and then we need to look to what we can do in our own market."
Cobden said retaliation "must" include tariffs on U.S. steel.
Trump said "I don't mind," when a reporter raised the possibility of countries retaliating to his orders.
The leaders of two of the main opposition parties called for retaliatory measures ahead of Trump's announcement.
During a news conference Monday morning, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said, if elected, his party would use the proceeds of retaliatory measures to support the steel and aluminum industry.
"And any surplus will be given in tax relief for our people," he said during a stop in Iqaluit, where he unveiled his plan to protect Canada's North.
"These tariff threats are a wake-up call."
NDP calls for tariffs on Tesla
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said if Trump follows through with his threat to apply a tariff to all Canadian goods, a New Democrat federal government would slap 100 per cent tariffs on all products made by electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla. Its CEO, Elon Musk, is one of Trump's top advisers and is leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
"When it comes to Elon Musk, I want to send a message directly to him," Singh said Monday.
"He thinks that he can pick a fight with Canada? He thinks he can say that we should be the 51 state? We're going to hit him back."
Singh released a statement after Trump's announcement on Monday, calling for supports for impacted workers.
"Workers are worried they'll lose their job. Families are worried about how they'll keep putting food on the table. It's urgent that we get financial supports into the hands of impacted people," he said.
Trump has spent the first three weeks of his presidency threatening trade wars with allies, including Canada and Mexico.
He has threatened to impose broad tariffs — 25 per cent on all Canadian and Mexican goods and 10 per cent on Canadian oil — citing what he sees as border security issues around fentanyl and illegal immigration.
Those were planned to come into effect on Feb. 3 , but Trump offered Canada and Mexico a month-long reprieve, after the two countries presented the president with updated border plans.
First announced in December, Canada's plan includes $1.3 billion in spending on enhanced border security, including patrols with helicopters. Trudeau has also promised to appoint a "fentanyl czar," who will work with U.S. counterparts in combating the toxic drug crisis.
Trump last imposed steel and aluminum tariffs, at 25 and 10 per cent respectively, in March 2018, using national security as justification.
Canada responded with a series of counter-tariffs on American products like Florida orange juice.
In May 2019, the White House announced a deal had been reached to prevent "surges" in the steel and aluminum supplies from Canada and Mexico, ending the trade dispute.
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With files from Alexander Panetta, Katie Simpson, David Thurton and The Canadian Press