Ottawa, Aug 7 (IANS) Canada has decided to impose retaliatory tariffs on American goods in response to US President Donald Trump’s move to restore a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian aluminium imports.
“In response to the American tariffs announced today, Canada will impose countermeasures that will include dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs,” Xinhua news agency quoted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as saying on Thursday evening.
“We will always stand up for our aluminium workers. We did so in 2018 and we will stand up for them again now.”
Speaking at a factory in Ohio on Thursday, Trump said that the 10 per cent tariff will affect non-alloyed unwrought aluminium articles.
It will take effect on August 16.
Responding to the announcement, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada “intends to swiftly impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures”, reports CBC News.
“Canadian aluminium does not undermine US national security. Canadian aluminium strengthens US national security and has done so for decades through unparalleled co-operation between our two countries,” she said.
The US slapped import tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium in 2018, before removing them last year as part of a broad free trade deal now in force.
Canada retaliated that time with $16.6 billion in tariffs on US products, including ketchup, ballpoint pens, licorice, orange juice, whiskey and toilet paper.
Trudeau and Freeland didn’t specify what US goods will be subject to countermeasures, nor whether the government will follow a similar strategy of targeting goods produced in Republican districts.
–IANS
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