U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s request to remove the 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, labelling Trudeau’s efforts as “not good enough.” Saying, Trudeau has done too little too late.
Tensions between Trump and Trudeau have heightened, with Trump criticizing Trudeau as Canada works to ease growing trade tensions. On Wednesday, Trump used his social media platform, Truth Social, to share his take on a phone conversation he had with Trudeau earlier that day.
“The call ended in a ‘somewhat’ friendly manner,” Trump wrote, though he didn’t provide further details. He accused Trudeau of not doing enough to tackle fentanyl trafficking, an issue experts consider a minor concern at the U.S.-Canada border.
Trump also questioned Trudeau’s actions ahead of Canada’s upcoming federal election, implying the Prime Minister might be using the trade dispute to bolster his position.
In his post, Trump stated, “Trudeau couldn’t tell me when the Canadian election is happening, which made me wonder what’s going on. It seemed like he’s leveraging this trade situation to hold on to power.”
Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January, is stepping down after the Liberal Party selects its new leader this weekend. His departure comes at a time when Canada-U.S. relations are strained, largely due to the 25% tariffs imposed by Trump on Canadian goods.
Trudeau Should Reduce the Rhetoric
A senior Canadian official, speaking anonymously, revealed that Trudeau is unwilling to lift Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products unless Trump removes all U.S. tariffs on Canada. The official shared the information on the condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Peter Navarro, one of Trump’s senior trade advisers, commented on the situation during an AP interview, suggesting that Trudeau should adopt a more restrained approach in his public remarks.
Meanwhile, speculation about a March federal election has grown. The Liberal Party has seen a rebound in public opinion polls after falling behind the Conservatives for over 18 months.
Trudeau’s exit, combined with a new leader and Trump’s actions, seems to have prompted Canadians to reconsider their support for the Liberals. Still, pollsters remain uncertain whether this shift will hold.
Unifor President Lana Payne, representing Canada’s largest private-sector union, expressed concerns about the timing of a potential election. “An election is the last thing we need right now,” Payne said. “We need stable leadership at this moment.”
Payne highlighted Trump’s plan to introduce more tariffs on steel and aluminium starting next week, along with reciprocal measures against countries that retaliate by April 2. That date also marks the completion of a Trump-ordered trade review, which could lead to even more tariffs.
“We’re facing tough choices,” Payne explained. “We’ll need to figure out how to support Canadians and industries while pushing back effectively against tariffs. A functioning government is critical.”
Both the Conservatives and New Democrats have urged Trudeau to recall Parliament. However, Trudeau previously asked Governor General Mary Simon to suspend Parliament until the end of March, giving the Liberals time to select their new leader.
