Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed optimism Tuesday about working with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, ramping up his rhetoric again by saying Canada has dealt with his trade threats before and can do so again.

Trudeau tried to play down possible retaliations by Trump over his past rhetoric, saying Trump’s trade threats are mostly aimed at China, and Canada has previously demonstrated a willingness to align with the United States against the Chinese if required.

Trudeau said that a concerted approach to Chinese trade and actions to address the country’s oppressive trade practices could help Canada win Trump’s favor.

For years, Trump has accused China of purposely weakening its currency and flooding the world with cheap items manufactured by low-wage workers, replacing American-made products and forcing jobs away.

The Trump administration is concerned about international pressures, particularly China’s overcapacity and unfair trade tactics. Canada is already aligned with the United States, and we can accomplish great things together,” Trudeau stated.

Trudeau’s allusion

Canada and the United States collaborated as “friends and partners” during Trump’s first term, “and we’re going to do that again,” Trudeau stated.

Trudeau’s allusion to being “aligned” with the Americans refers to Canada’s decision in August to join the US in imposing punishing tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles to preserve the country’s young EV industry.

As of October 1, Canada imposed a 100% surtax on Chinese-made EVs, doubling the cost of those imported vehicles and making them significantly less appealing to Canadian buyers.

According to a readout of Trudeau’s first contact with Trump since the election, the two discussed “addressing unfair trading practices in the global economy. While Canada and the United States agree on EVs, there may be difficulty with Mexico, the third member in the continental free trade agreement.

Trump has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on Mexico, with up to 200 percent levies on vehicles imported from the nation, to make it less appealing for automakers to build operations there.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in automotive manufacturing in Mexico; most of that product is bound for the United States. Chinese EV manufacturer BYD has been seeking areas for a Mexican facility that may supply the US market.

“All I’m doing is saying… I’ll put a number where they can’t sell one car,” Trump said of Mexico in October about promised tariffs.

“I don’t want them hurting our car companies.”

Canada-U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement

He has also threatened Mexico with high tariffs if it does not do more to stem the flow of migrants entering the United States. Kelly Craft, Trump’s former ambassador to Canada, has claimed the president-elect is also concerned about transshipments.

That is the practice of countries such as China shipping goods to Mexico so that they may be sold tariff-free in Canada and the United States under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement, which Trump renegotiated during his administration.

“There are manufacturers producing products for the U.S. and Canada in Mexico, and he wants to reduce that, he wants us to have indigenous manufacturing capability,” Craft said of Trump in an interview with Radio-Canada before last week’s presidential election.

Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed similar concerns Tuesday, suggesting that Canada and the United States should negotiate a future free trade agreement alone and exclude Mexico.

“Since signing on to the new NAFTA, Mexico has allowed itself to become a backdoor for Chinese cars, auto parts and other products into Canadian and American markets,” Ford told reporters.

“If Mexico won’t fight transshipment by, at the very least, matching Canadian and American tariffs on Chinese imports, they shouldn’t have a seat at the table or enjoy access to the largest economy in the world.”

Regarding Trump’s pledge to impose a minimum 10% tariff on all imports — a policy that could be applied to Canada — Trudeau said Tuesday that he is working to persuade the incoming president that the approach would be terrible for businesses and the workers they employ on both sides of the border.

During Trump’s first term, Canada was subjected to tariffs on steel and aluminum from the United States, which was an economically destructive policy. Canada replied with dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs, forcing the United States to back down.

Trudeau stated that if necessary, Canada may undertake this strategy again.

“We responded to tariffs he brought in with a demonstration that the interdependence of our economies means there are great jobs on both sides of the border that rely on the smooth flow of goods,” he told reporters. “That’s going to continue to be the case.”

However, trade experts believe that even the possibility of tariffs might be detrimental to Canada since it may cause corporations to reconsider investing here.

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The Trudeau government has invoked federal authority to halt union strike actions at the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, and Montreal, claiming economic damage and the loss of trading partners.

This is the second time in a few months that the Trudeau government has intervened to end a labor conflict. In August, Trudeau ordered work stoppages at the country’s two main railway corporations to cease.

Canadian Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon stated that the supply chain has been damaged and that it will take weeks to clear the container congestion affecting Canadian and US companies. He informed reporters that he had ordered the country’s industrial relations board to end the strike and impose binding arbitration.

“As the economic losses threaten the country and begin to mount, it is up to the government to ensure that … we can get on with the economic life of this country and avoid layoffs and other carnage,” he stated during a news conference.

“Canadians have a limited tolerance right now for economic self-harm.”

The issue, which MacKinnon claimed was hurting more than C$1.3 billion ($932 million) in goods every day, has already hampered shipments of canola oil, forest products, and other goods. Business organizations applauded the announcement.

Union Strike Action Heads to Court

International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514, representing supervisory longshore workers at the core of the British Columbia conflict, has announced that it will submit a legal challenge to the minister’s instructions.

“We will fight this order in the courts,” stated Frank Morena, president of ILWU Local 514.

“And we will not forget how these employers and this federal Liberal government have attacked not only the ILWU but all of labor.”

MacKinnon said the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which is independent but reports to Ottawa, will issue the required orders in a few days.

The left-leaning government has previously declared that it prefers to resolve labor problems through collective bargaining. MacKinnon said he was forced to interfere when federal mediators reported that discussions in Montreal and Vancouver had reached a stalemate.

The left-of-center opposition New Democrats, a pro-union group supporting the minority Liberal administration, accused Ottawa of giving in to employers.

“Back-to-work orders suppress wages for all Canadians, so billionaires get richer, and the rest of us fall further behind,” leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement but did not mention bringing the Liberals down.

Trudeau Government Sends Dangerous Message

The Teamsters union, representing employees at the two major train companies, has launched court challenges to labor board judgments that ordered them back to work.

“The government is sending a dangerous message: employers can bypass meaningful negotiations, lock out their workers, and wait for political intervention to secure a more favorable deal,” the Canadian Labour Congress said.

After rejecting a final offer for a new labor deal, the Montreal Longshoremen’s Union called a lockout. As a result, canola oil and forest products exports from West Coast ports, including Vancouver, have ceased.

“These work stoppages are impacting our supply chain, hundreds of thousands of Canadian jobs, our economy, and our reputation as a reliable international trading partner,” said MacKinnon, who said employers and unions had not acted quickly enough.

“I’ve directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order that all operations and duties at the ports resume and to assist the parties in settling their collective agreements by imposing final and binding arbitration,” he told reporters.

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Geoffrey Thomas is a seasoned staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. With his sharp writing skills and deep understanding of SEO, he consistently delivers high-quality, engaging content that resonates with readers. Thomas' articles are well-researched, informative, and written in a clear, concise style that keeps audiences hooked. His ability to craft compelling narratives while seamlessly incorporating relevant keywords has made him a valuable asset to the VORNews team.

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Archbishop of Canterbury resigned on Tuesday, claiming he failed to oversee a thorough inquiry into allegations of abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps decades ago.

Justin Welby, the senior bishop of the Church of England and spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, faced calls to quit after a report last week revealed that he had taken insufficient action to stop a man characterized as the Church’s most frequent serial abuser.

“The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England,” Welby said in a news release.

“I hope this decision demonstrates how seriously the Church of England takes the need for reform and our deep commitment to building a safer church. As I step down, I do so with grief for all victims and survivors of abuse.”

Welby’s term spanned a decade of considerable change, during which he had to navigate disagreements over homosexual rights and women clergy between liberal churches, primarily in North America and Britain, and their conservative counterparts, particularly in Africa.

The Anglican churches in African countries such as Uganda and Nigeria will likely celebrate Welby’s resignation, having stated last year that they no longer trusted him. His successor’s key responsibilities will be to unite the more divided global Anglican Church and reverse a fivefold decrease in church attendance in Britain since 2019.

Archbishop resigned after Makin Report.

Welby resigned five days after the independent Makin Report singled him out for criticism of his treatment of abuse complaints dating back to the 1970s. According to the investigation, John Smyth, a British lawyer, subjected over 100 boys and young men to “brutal and horrific” physical and sexual abuse over 40 years.

According to the investigation, Smyth beat some victims with a cane for up to 800 strokes and provided diapers to absorb the bleeding. He would then drape himself over his victims, occasionally kissing them on the neck or back.

Smyth chaired the Iwerne Trust, which financed Christian camps in Dorset, England, and Welby worked as a dormitory officer there before becoming an ordained minister.

According to the study, Smyth moved to Africa in 1984 and continued to torture people until shortly before he died in 2018.

In 2013, the Church of England was fully aware of sexual abuse allegations at the camps. According to the study, Welby became aware of the claims at least in the same year, months after becoming archbishop.

Recommends two candidates

If the claims had been brought to the police in 2013, there may have been a thorough investigation, and Smyth could have faced prosecution before his death, according to the study. The Makin Report was commissioned in 2019.

Welby apologized for “failures and omissions” but stated that he had “no idea or suspicion” of the claims before 2013. The report stated that this was improbable and accused him of failing to uphold his “personal and moral responsibility” to conduct a thorough investigation.

Church protocols for appointing a new archbishop of Canterbury involve a committee of clerics and a chair, selected by the British prime minister, to recommend two candidates to him.

Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich, and Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford, are expected to follow Welby and become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.

Usher supports homosexual rights and has been outspoken on the need to address climate change.

Francis-Dehqani was born in Iran and has spoken about her brother’s assassination following the Iranian Revolution. She would be the first woman to hold the position.

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Geoff Thomas

Geoffrey Thomas is a seasoned staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. With his sharp writing skills and deep understanding of SEO, he consistently delivers high-quality, engaging content that resonates with readers. Thomas' articles are well-researched, informative, and written in a clear, concise style that keeps audiences hooked. His ability to craft compelling narratives while seamlessly incorporating relevant keywords has made him a valuable asset to the VORNews team.

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