Canada-U.S. tariff war paused for at least 30 days

Ottawa - U.S. President Donald Trump has paused tariffs on Canadian imports for at least 30 days.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted the update on X (formerly Twitter) after a phone call with Trump on Monday afternoon.

Trump had threatened to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods (and 10% on energy imports). These tariffs were set to take effect on February 4. Trump cited lax border controls as the reason for the tariffs on Canada and Mexico.

In his tweet, Trudeau said, "Canada is implementing its $1.3 billion border plan - reinforcing the border with new helicopters, technology and personnel, enhancing coordination with American partners, and adding resources to stop the flow of fentanyl."

Trudeau said 10,000 frontline workers "are and will continue to be committed to protecting the border."

Trudeau said other measures include appointing a "fentanyl czar," listing drug cartels as terrorists, forming a joint Canada-U.S. strike force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering, and allocating $200 million to support the newly signed intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford posted on X: "We have some good news today. We have temporarily avoided tariffs that could have seriously damaged our economy, buying time for more negotiations and allowing cooler heads to prevail."

Ford said this means Ontario will pause its proposed retaliatory measures, including the threat to remove American alcohol from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).

Ford tweeted: "There is no doubt that Canada and Ontario will continue to face tariff threats. As long as our trade relationship with our largest trading partner remains in limbo, we will continue to see many potential projects frozen and existing ones at risk."

Source: https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/tariff-war-between-canada-us-put-on-pause-for-at-least-30-days-10177603