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- 鈥淲e are going to fight these tariffs with counter measures. We are going to protect our workers,鈥� Carney said in Ottawa
OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday vowed to 鈥渇ight鈥� against US President Donald Trump鈥檚 sweeping tariffs, which he warned will 鈥渇undamentally change the global trading system.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 unveiling of 10 percent tariffs on imports from around the world and harsh additional levies on key trading partners ignited global anger, but for Canada the impact of the latest announcement was limited.
Previously announced US levies on Canadian steel and aluminum remain in place. Canada may also be hit hard by Trump鈥檚 auto sector tariffs.
But America鈥檚 northern neighbor and largest trading partner was not singled out for additional tariffs Wednesday, and Canadian goods compliant with an existing North American free trade agreement appear exempt from new levies for now.
Carney noted that Trump鈥檚 latest announcement 鈥減reserved a number of important elements of our relationship, the commercial relationship between Canada and the United States.鈥�
The prime minister, who replaced Justin Trudeau last month, said Trump鈥檚 trade war will 鈥渘egatively鈥� impact the US economy and will 鈥渄irectly affect millions of Canadians.鈥�
鈥淲e are going to fight these tariffs with counter measures. We are going to protect our workers,鈥� Carney said in Ottawa.
鈥淚n a crisis it is important to come together and it is essential to act with purpose and with force and that is what we will do,鈥� he added.
Carney, a wealthy former investment banker who previously led the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, has called a general election for April 28.
Last week in a call with Trump, the pair agreed to discuss the future of bilateral trade after the election.
Polls currently project Carney鈥檚 Liberal Party will win a majority.
That would mark a stunning turnaround for a party that was badly trailing the opposition Conservatives in polls at the start of the year.