WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday it was “time to teach Canada you can’t do this anymore,” escalating a trade dispute that has prompted Ottawa to impose retaliatory tariffs and renew calls for Canadians to boycott American products.
“I had a deal, that was a pretty good deal, you know, quite good,” Trump told conservative commentator Glenn Beck, days after trade talks between the neighboring countries collapsed.
“They don’t have anything that we have to have,” Trump said. “We can get by. I mean, there are a couple of things that would make it a little inconvenient, but we can get them elsewhere. And it’s time to teach Canada you can’t do this anymore.”
Trump imposed new 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian imports on Saturday after negotiations broke down.
Canada hit back Tuesday with retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of US annual imports, matching Washington’s latest duties dollar for dollar. The Canadian measures are due to take effect on Sept. 8.
Ottawa also announced aid for businesses and workers affected by the dispute, while Trump said 50 percent tariffs on Canadian autos and parts would take effect on Jan. 1.
Canada has said Washington’s refusal to extend tariff relief to medium- and heavy-duty vehicles was among the reasons no agreement was reached.
The latest escalation has also given new momentum to a “Buy Canadian” campaign encouraged by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, with consumers increasingly turning away from US products.
Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Tuesday that Canadians should use their purchasing power to support domestic producers.
“We can choose to buy Canadian, and we must choose to buy Canadian,” he said.
Industry Minister Melanie Joly said choosing Canadian products would not only put pressure on the United States but also help protect jobs at home.
In Montreal, there were signs of the campaign spreading through stores, where maple leaf labels identifying Canadian products have proliferated and some shoppers said they were willing to pay more for local goods.
A manager of a Montreal supermarket said customers were increasingly asking where products came from and often favoring goods from Quebec or elsewhere in Canada.
The consumer backlash has extended beyond shopping. A boycott of US travel last year contributed to a sharp fall in the number of Canadians visiting the United States, although the trend has shown signs of easing in recent months.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday there were currently no open channels with Canadian negotiators, though he said he maintained a good relationship with Canadian Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who is leading Ottawa’s trade efforts.
“If there’s further retaliation from the Canadian side, of course we’re not going to just sit down and take that,” Greer told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
White House adviser Peter Navarro predicted Canada would ultimately get a worse deal than the one it rejected last week.
“The deal you got, that you turned your nose up, you’re never going to get that deal again,” Navarro said on C-SPAN. “Whatever you get is going to be less than that.”
• Reuters and AFP
