America’s 25% levies on Canadian goods are unjustified, the prime minister has said

US President Donald Trump’s decision to slap Canada with tariffs was completely unjustified, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said.

Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods (25%) and energy (10%) took effect on Tuesday, after a month-long delay.

Trump has previously accused Ottawa of unfair trade practices and suggested that Canada would be better off as the “51st state” of the United States.

“We don’t want this. We want to work with you as a friend and ally, and we don’t want to see you hurt either, but your government has chosen to do this to you,” Trudeau said in a televised speech.

“They have chosen to launch a trade war that will, first and foremost, harm American families.”

“Let me be unequivocally clear – there is no justification for these actions,” the prime minister argued. He added that Canada had “worked relentlessly” to curb the shipping of fentanyl across the border. Seizures of the drug coming from Canada dropped 97% between December 2024 and January 2025, he said.

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Trudeau ended his speech by mentioning the recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal, which described Trump’s tariffs as “the dumbest in history.”

“It’s not in my habit to agree with The Wall Street Journal, but Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do,” Trudeau said. The prime minister promised that Canada would respond in kind and impose 25% tariffs on American goods. 

Trump dismissed Trudeau’s response on Tuesday, mockingly calling him the “governor.”

“Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the US, our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.