Canada is “looking at all options” on how to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 50 per cent tariffs on most Canadian goods, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday.
“We will look at all options in terms of how we would respond if they do come into effect. That’s part of what we’ll be discussing with premiers,” Carney told reporters in Ottawa.
Carney said he also spoke with Trump on the latest threat. “We agreed to intensify discussions,” he said.
The decision to withdraw U.S. alcohol from the shelves was one taken by the provinces, he said.
“The provinces individually took those decisions in response to a series of tariffs that were put in place and also threats to our sovereignty. Those measures have been supported by provincial citizens. They’re supported and it’s indicative in terms of other consumption habits,” Carney added.
Trump’s decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on the vast majority of Canadian goods in response to “discriminatory” measures, including provincial boycotts of American booze, will risk “further escalation” of the trade war with Canada, a U.S. alcohol industry body is warning.
The U.S. said Monday it will be imposing an additional 50 per cent tariff on Canadian imports due to retaliatory and “discriminatory” measures Canada took in response to Trump’s tariffs last year.
Trump signed three executive orders, each one using a different justification for the new tariff: the provincial and territorial boycotts on American alcohol products, Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-made vehicles and auto parts and quotas on American dairy imports under Canada’s supply management system.
The U.S. booze industry group said they “appreciate” the Trump administration’s recognition of the “significant damage” Canadian restrictions had caused to U.S. distillers.
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“We had hoped, however, that this issue could be resolved without further escalation,” said Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Trump’s tariffs “deepens trade tensions and raises the risk of further retaliation at a time when many U.S. hospitality businesses continue to face financial hardships,” Swonger said in a statement.
The group urged both sides to de-escalate the trade war.
“We encourage policymakers on both sides of the border to pursue a negotiated solution that restores market access for U.S. spirits and avoids further harm to the U.S. hospitality sector,” Swonger said.
B.C. Premier David Eby said “the idea of the president that he can bully us into whatever he wishes is incorrect.”
“There is not a chance in hell that U.S. alcohol is going back on the shelf in British Columbia,” Eby said on Tuesday.
Canada should not make decisions “out of a sense of desperation or anxiety or what’s going to come next,” he said.
“No deal is better than a bad deal with the Americans,” Eby added.
Saskatchewan, along with Alberta, is among the provinces that do not have prohibitions on the sale of American alcohol.
The decision on whether or not to revoke those bans is up to individual provinces, Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe said.
“The ultimate goal isn’t to counter-tariff and further weaken the North American economy. The ultimate goal is to get to a renewed agreement,” Moe said.
It was important for Canadians to recognize the “a pattern that repeatedly occurs” when the U.S. announces new tariffs against Canada, Moe said.
“Each and every time that happens, they are very vague in what that announcement is. And every province, and in fairness the federal government, takes some time to go through and see what the actual impact is, which industries are impacted by those tariffs,” he said.
It was now “time for us to intensify our negotiations” on a renewed free trade deal, he said.
Domestic trade and major projects will be on the agenda as Canada’s premiers gather Tuesday in Prince Edward Island for a three-day meeting coloured by a renewed tariff threat from Trump.
The annual summer gathering of provincial and territorial leaders will culminate with Prime Minister Mark Carney joining the discussion Thursday. The premiers will also meet with Indigenous leaders later Tuesday.
Key issues among the provinces have included efforts to cut down any remaining barriers to internal trade and advocate for big infrastructure projects that could bring investment and jobs to their regions.
But there’s also fresh economic uncertainty after Trump’s decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on certain Canadian products within 30 days.
–with files from The Canadian Press
Moe is no leader but a boot lic#er. Actually makes me sick hearing his name.
Ben in response to your once again unfounded accusations. . What do you think Carney was doing smooching with Trump in New York over the weekend?
Thanks for proving the point loser
Trump is a bully that needs to be stood up to. That’s the only language he understands, if at all. Time to hit back with our own tariffs. Reinstate the surcharge on electricity flowing south of the border. Keep boycotting US produce and buy locally. Elbows up!
Stop trading anything with Trump. Deal with Ummigration and Travel. Thats enough to deal with with Trump. Eliminates the tax war. Let’s be independent of anything from the states. Therefore zero tax wars.
Looking through the lists of specific items to be hit from the Orange in Chief, the only one that seems to have a lot of our manufacturing affected that isn’t already tariffed is on the booze list – I say we open the market up again as our perhaps only concession (never should have closed it) – Dougie isn’t very smart, but even he should be able to figure out that you don’t need to ban what your people will for the most part probably boycott anyhow. I used to get a couple of bottles of bourbon and perhaps a half dozen bottles of california wine a year prior to all of this, but even if it wasn’t off the shelves, I would stick to Scotch and Spanish/Portuguese/Italian wines if I wanted something unique and not already made here.
Cut out what we get from the states. Really, pull our services out, they pull their services out. We function independently. There’s other options. Instead of tax wars. Just 0 taxes because no trading no usages of anything from each other. Period. No more tax wars. We cant get along we just dont interact with things that need purchased. Travel is different story. Deal with that and immigration. Its enough to deal with when interacting with Trump. Let him war with himself.
but PP looked adorable in his Liberace Whinestone Cowboy gown.
PP can reopen the Strait of Hormuz!!!
It is like negotiating with a toddler at this point, who is overtired (sundowning), full of sugar (Fanta is it?) and lacks any emotional regulation. We must respond as the only rational adult in the room, because at this point, we are
Oh look!
Dave tried to spell a big word again.
He likes trump’s gold statue of himself and the Narcissus reflecting pool he stares at. Who else does that?
Some idiot in the Old Testament?
TaCo [ Trump Always Chickens Out ]
Carney [ If I May, If I May Won’t Do Nothing for Canadians ]
100% accurate!!
Is 100% accurate
Oh look
The little pussies are deaperate for attention again
We have no options. We cannot strongarm a nation that has 300 million more people than us. We export manufactured goods and natural resources, yet we import most of our food.
Trump is so f**king desperate these days it’s actually hilarious 😂 🤣 Reminds me alot of the white trash KKKonservatives in Canada LOL
This will only affect 5% of Canadian exports to the US, not the “vast majority” as claimed by MAGA-friendly Garble News. A small price to pay to put more daylight between us and a terminally corrupt and predatory Murrika, and a last-minute reprieve from the total takeover of Canada envisioned by now by the Tory and Republican scammers that shoved NAFTA down our throats in the first place.
Keep America booze off the shelves! Screw them. We can’t be expected to not throw a punch back at our tormentors.
It’s outrageous that conservative MP’s have been in the USA having discussions with Trump officials. What secret discussions and negotiations have been held? The conservatives undermine our negotiations with the US!
The only thing Carney has achieved since becoming PM is increased tariffs on our products going to the USA. What a great deal maker – NOT !!!
Trump lost the last court case on tariffs. He will lose this one, if he tires it. The last one will cost the US Billions. This will cost them the same.
Trump is simply not learning. Time for the US citizens, who suffer the most from tariffs, to do something about their out of control toddler.
The definition of a moron is someone who does not learn from their mistakes. Even a toddler will learn…
Carney’s response, to intensify discussions, is lame. Threaten lawsuits and penalties.
So glad that we have Carney in charge … You know … That guy, the ONLY one who can negotiate and get a deal with Trump. We know Carney is the guy because he told us SO many times during the election and even promised … YES promised that he would have a deal done within a month of being elected to rule over us as PM. That didn’t work out but wait … Carney is still able to get a deal done, isn’t he … or so he STILL wants us to believe. After more than a year of flying around the world and spending almost a million dollars on food during flights, Carney has achieved diddly squat, nada, nothing that helps Canada. Sure he has signed some deals that are minuscule in effecting our trade and our biggest trade partner, the USA is laughing at us. Thanks Elbozo’s and the main stream media who keep perpetuating the Carney Trump whisperer myth.
@Dave Cole: That’s why he is at 69% in the polls eh? You speak only for Tamara Lich and her kind. Go play.
Where is your god PP?
Trying out new Liberace gowns?
Surely to goodness they can think of more ways to make the US ‘uncomfortable ‘ other than a ban on alcohol. Trump is always commenting on the US not needing Canadian lumber, steel, electricity… it would be a shame if they had to invest in a new electricity grid wouldn’t it?
We need 1 country not provinces making there own rules to suit themselves. Get the job done Carney as you promised would be done July 2025! No a year later and still SSDD
Can’t wait to find a few more US products to boycott.
I’m glad we have a logical, even-tempered leader in charge. As much as we would like to, we cannot respond on the basis of emotion.
Carney has been an absolute disaster on this file. Is he back to Elbows Up. He is a total charlatan.
Cry wolf too often and eventually you’ll get ignored. T. Is doing Canada a favor. Breaking away and learning to navigate on our own. It’s like pushing a chick out of the nest and forcing it to fly on its own. It’s about time Canada takes these steps to progress. Thank you T. For forcing Canada to become independent.
@Dave: Not drinking American gut rot is “childish?”
Alcohol is a category 1 drug for addictiveness. Drink up “Dave.”
Sounds like you have already today.
Fancy way of saying they are doing nothing
I like American products and frankly, these bans impact working class-level people and manufacturing. Politicians are ruining factory workers’ lives and destroying jobs by using tariffs as a virtue signal to appease their local voters.
Canada should put the booze back on the shelves doesn’t mean citizens have to buy it and I think most citizens would avoid American booze and products
DELETE TRUMP!!
Childish policies like the booze ban come at a cost