U.S. President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again threat to impose damaging tariffs on Canada are off again — at least, for the next 30 days.
Following a phone conversation Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Trump is pausing the threatened 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian goods that was set to take effect Tuesday.
Trudeau said he and Trump discussed Canada’s $1.3 billion border plan, which includes helicopter patrols, and announced $200 million in new initiatives to address fentanyl trafficking.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she was “greatly heartened” to see the two sides find common ground.
“The appointment of a Canadian fentanyl czar with authority to coordinate a massive joint effort with the United Stated to target fentanyl traffickers is something Alberta has been calling for since it became clear in our discussions with U.S. elected representatives and administration officials that this would be a critical part of reaching a deal to avoid tariffs,” Smith said in a statement online Monday afternoon.
“Diplomacy has won the day. Let us ensure that continues as we know there is much more work ahead of us.”
Smith said she’ll return to Washington, D.C. next week with her fellow premiers to continue their diplomatic efforts, and will go back to D.C. later in February to attend the National Governors’ Association conference.
Trump declared victory in a post on Truth Social, saying Canada agreed to “finally end the deadly scourge of drugs like fentanyl that have been pouring into our country, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans.”
Trump said over the next 30 days, the two countries will see whether a “final economic deal” can be reached.
But his message ends with a warning that tariffs are not off the table. When speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump repeated that he wants to see Canada become the 51st state.
With the reason for the tariffs seeming to change almost daily — Trump has cited everything from fentanyl and illegal border crossings to trade imbalances and more recently, American bank and…
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