Canada’s former finance minister and Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland is calling for aggressive trade retaliation against US tariffs, with a specific target on Tesla. Her proposal comes in response to President Donald Trump’s plan to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods.
In an interview with The Canadian Press on Friday, Freeland outlined her strategy, saying Canada should impose a 100% tariff on one specific company, Tesla, along with similar tariffs on US products such as wine, beer, and spirits. She argues that such targeted retaliation will send a clear message to Trump’s allies that attacking Canadian trade will have consequences.
“We need to be very targeted, very surgical, very precise. We need to look through and say who is supporting Trump and how can we make them pay a price for a tariff attack on Canada,” Freeland stated. (via CP)
Not all leadership candidates agree with Freeland’s approach. Mark Carney, another frontrunner in the Liberal leadership race, has taken a more cautious stance, arguing that Canada should not reveal its strategy prematurely. “We have negotiators literally at the front line. We’re not turning over any of our cards face up,” he said.
On Friday, Trump said he would be following through with his threats and beginning on Saturday, February 1, would impose 25% tariffs on Canada.
Canada has said they will respond with similar dollar-for-dollar tariffs, but the government has not yet released an official list of potential tariff targets. The Canadian government has sent a delegation, including Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, to Washington for last-minute talks in hopes of persuading the Trump administration to abandon its tariff plan.
If Donald Trump slaps 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, we must hit back—dollar for dollar—starting with 100% tariffs on all Tesla vehicles and U.S. wine, beer, and spirits. We must protect Canadian workers and businesses. https://t.co/OX0nImM39w pic.twitter.com/FWFwWdbQ9X
— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) January 31, 2025
