U.S. President Donald Trump revealed a long list of countries facing reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday, but Canada isn't one of them.
All tariffs previously imposed on Canadian goods will remain in place. A fact sheet from the White House showed that includes 25 per cent levies on non-CUSMA (Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement) compliant products and 10 per cent tariffs on non-CUSMA compliant energy and potash.
During his announcement, Trump did confirm previously announced 25 per cent tariffs on all automobiles made outside the U.S. The auto sector will be hit with those tariffs as of 12 a.m. Thursday.
Unifor National President Lana Payne responded to the tariffs on the auto sector with a heavy dose of skepticism and a request that the federal government keep all options on the table going forward.
"The reality is that this trade war is just getting started and Canada is still feeling the pain of U.S. trade penalties disproportionately worse than any country in the world. That’s why Canada needs the strongest possible response to these tariffs while we work towards building a more resilient Canadian economy," Payne said.
She added that she believes Trump is trying to divert investment away from Canada and steal Canadian jobs.
"Trump is gaslighting us, wanting us to be grateful for not having reciprocal tariffs imposed on Canada while he tries to pick off our domestic industries one by one. We won't fall for it," she said. "Today's announcement offers absolutely no relief to Canadian workers who are ready to fight for every job, every plant, every community in this U.S.-initiated trade war."
Liberal leader Mark Carney suspended his campaign efforts on Wednesday in order to respond to Trump's tariff announcement.
Carney met with his Canada-U.S. relations council and a cabinet committee throughout the day and while he hadn't released an official response as of 7:30 p.m. he did post on social media. In the message, Carney called Trump's ongoing tariff threats a "crisis" and he vowed to fight the tariffs that are already in place.
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford appeared on CNN on Wednesday, ahead of Trump's announcement.
"These tariffs are nothing but attacks on Americans," Ford said during the interview, adding that a lot of people would lose their jobs because of them.