A top Canadian diplomat is sounding the alarm about President Donald Trump’s plan to follow through on levying tariffs on Canadian imports, arguing that the move will cause both countries to lose.
“If you put too many barriers in front of trade, if you put too many taxes and tariffs in front of trade, you slow everything down, you lay people off, you lose jobs, you lose prosperity,” Bob Rae, Canada’s permanent Ambassador to the United Nations, said during an appearance on MSNBC Sunday.
The comments come after Trump confirmed on Thursday that his 25% tariff would go into effect on March 4, reasoning that dangerous drugs such as fentanyl were still spilling over the U.S. border with Canada at an alarming rate.
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Justin Trudeau; Donald Trump. (Getty Images)
“The proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled. China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date. The April Second Reciprocal Tariff date will remain in full force and effect,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump had initially agreed to a 30-day pause on the tariff plan to allow time for negotiations between Canada and the U.S. on how to better secure the border, though the president argued Thursday that not enough had been done in order to stop the flow within the 30-day window.
“We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA,” Trump said.
The trade war between the two countries comes as Canada will also be transitioning to new leadership in the coming months after current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in January that he would step down and end his nine-year run leading the country.
President Donald Trump with First Lady Melania Trump (Jacob Safar/@yaakovsafar)
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Trudeau said that he would remain in office until the Liberal Party can choose a new leader, while parliament would be suspended until March 24.
Whoever emerges as Canada’s new leader will have to resume negotiations with Trump over tariffs, something Rae said the Canadian side doesn’t see the logic of.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses the Liberal party caucus meeting in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on December 16, 2024. (REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo)
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“This is something we will weather through. We’ll have to deal with it. It is going to cost jobs on both sides of the border, and I think that’s something that everybody has to understand,” Rae said during his appearance on MSNBC. “What’s the logic of increasing the price for everyone? We don’t see the logic of it, and that’s why we’re continuing to try to persuade the American government that they should think again and reflect hard on what the costs and benefits of this trade are and also what the cost of benefits, and lack of benefits of increasing tariffs is going to be.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.