Prime minister Justin Trudeau replied Canadian Product Prices.
Trudeau spoke to the media on Saturday after American president Donald Trump signed an executive decree imposing the prices.
Trump declared in a press release that he had implemented a 25% rate on imports from Canada and Mexico, which drops 10% on Canadian energy, as well as an additional 10% rate on imports from China.
Canada has been informed that prices will come into effect on Tuesday.
Here is the English transcription of Trudeau’s full speech.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Good evening. Today, the United States has informed us that it will impose a price of 25% on Canadian exports to the United States and 10% on Canadian energy, a decision which, if he chose to proceed, should Take effect on Tuesday February. 4
(In French)
Tonight, I want to speak directly to the Americans first. Our closest friends and neighbors. It is a choice which, yes, will harm the Canadians. But beyond that, it will have real consequences for you, the American people.
As I said regularly, the prices against Canada will put your job in danger, potentially close American automotive assembly factories and other manufacturing facilities.
They will increase the costs for you, including food in grocery stores and gas to the pump.
They will hinder your access to an affordable offer of vital products crucial for American security, such as nickel, potash, uranium, steel and aluminum.
They will violate the free trade agreement that the president and I, with our Mexican partner, negotiated and signed a few years ago. But that should not be so.
As President John F. Kennedy said many years ago, geography made us neighbors. History has made friends to us, the economy made us partners and the need made us allies.
This was true for many decades before President Kennedy’s stay in power, and in the decades that followed, from Normandy beaches to the mountains of the Korean peninsula, from the fields of Flanders to the streets of Kandahar, we fought And died alongside you during your darkest hours during the Iranian hostage crisis. These 444 days, we worked 24 hours a day from our embassy to bring your innocent compatriots home.
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During the summer of 2005, when Hurricane Katrina ravaged your big city in New Orleans, or only weeks ago, when we sent water bombers to tackle forest fires California. During the day, the world was motionless on September 11, 2001, when we provided a refuge to passengers and blocked planes. We were always there, standing with you, in mourning with you. The American people.
Together, we have built the most successful economic, military and security partnership that the world has ever seen. A relationship that was the desire of the world.
Yes, we have had our differences in the past, but we have always found a way to overcome them. As I have already said, if President Trump wants to inaugurate a new golden age for the United States, the best way is to join Canada, not to punish us.
Canada has critical minerals, reliable and affordable energy, stable democratic institutions, shared values and the natural resources you need. Canada has the ingredients necessary to build a booming and secure partnership for the North American economy, and we are ready to work together.
Take a moment to talk about our shared border. Our border is already safe, but there is always, always more work to do. Less than one percent of fentanyl, less than one percent of illegal passages in the United States come from Canada.
But hearing concerns of Canadians and Americans, including the American president himself, we take measures. We have launched a border plan of $ 1.3 billion which already shows results, because we too are devastated by the scouring the United States.
A drug that we also want to see suffered from the face of this earth. A drug whose traffickers must be punished as neighbors, we must work in collaboration to solve this problem.
Unfortunately, the actions taken today by the White House separated us instead of gathering us.
Tonight, I announce that Canada will respond to American commercial action with 25% prices against a value of $ 155 billion in American products. This will include immediate prices out of $ 30 billion in goods from Tuesday, followed by new tariffs on $ 125 billion in American products in 21 days to allow Canadian companies and supply chains to seek to find alternatives.
(In French)
Like American prices, our response will also be large and include everyday items such as American beer, wine and bourbon, fruit and fruit juices, including orange juice, as well as Vegetables, perfume, clothes and shoes.
It will include the main consumer products such as household appliances, furniture and sports equipment, and materials like wood and plastics, as well as much, much more.
And as part of our response, we plan with the provinces and territories, several non -tariff measures, including some concerning critical minerals, energy supply and other partnerships.
We will stay strong for Canada. We will be solid to make sure that our countries continue to be the best neighbors in the world.
That said, I also want to talk directly to Canadians right now.
I am sure that many of you are anxious, but I want you to know that we are all in the same way. The Canadian government, Canadian companies, Canadian organized work, Canadian civil society, Canada Prime Ministers and tens of millions of Canadians from one ocean to the other are aligned and united.
It’s Team Canada to his best.
(In French)
And now is the time to choose Canada.
(In French)
This could mean doing all of these things or finding your own way of defending Canada. Right now, we have to come together because we love this country. We are proud to brave the cold during the long winter months. We do not like to beat our chests, but we are still there by waving the maple leaf loudly and proudly to celebrate an Olympic gold medal.
(In French)
Canada is home to abundant resources, breathtaking beauty and a proud people who came from all over the world to forge a nation with a unique identity that deserves to be embraced and celebrated. We do not pretend to be perfect, but Canada is the best country in the world.
There is nowhere else that, in our family with 41 million, I prefer to be.
And we will take up this challenge as we have made countless times before.
THANKS. THANK YOU. Long live Canada!