Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says she believes a diplomatic solution to preventing U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods is possible, but noted the “unpredictable” administration of U.S. President Donald Trump makes that far from certain.
Joly made the comments Monday after a meeting with the federal cabinet committee on U.S.-Canada relations and ahead of her trip this week to Washington, where she will meet with new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss Trump’s tariff threat.
“When it comes to preventing tariffs, this is our number one priority and we’re working on it every day,” she told reporters in Ottawa.
“Now, we believe that diplomacy can work, and that’s why we’re having private conversations … I’ve had numerous conversations where the reaction was actually very positive, but meanwhile there’s still a lot of work. This administration in the U.S. is very unpredictable, so we have to be ready.”
The minister told reporters in Ottawa that the federal government, along with the provinces and territories, are working on both preventing tariffs and a potential response if those tariffs happen on Feb. 1, as Trump has threatened.
“We will be ready on day one” with that response, Joly said, without detailing what that would look like.
Trump has promised to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports, citing imbalances in trade and defence spending. The federal government’s attempts to address Trump’s concerns about border security, including enforcement and detection investments, have not convinced Trump to back down.
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Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, speaking alongside Joly on Monday, said the RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency are “making huge progress” on implementing the government’s border security plan and demonstrating Canada’s commitment to combating fentanyl and human trafficking.
“We are tightening up our border even…
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