Canada's Election: A Plan to Hit Back at U. S. Tariffs

Chrystia Freeland, a Canadian politician running for prime minister, thinks it's time to fight back against U. S. President Trump's tariff threats. She wants to hurt the U. S. economy where it matters most. For example, she mentioned targeting Florida orange growers, Wisconsin dairy farmers, and Michigan dishwasher makers. Freeland believes that by hitting these U. S. industries hard, Canada can send a strong message. She wants Canada to make a list of products worth $200 billion Canadian dollars (around $139 billion U. S. dollars) that would be targeted if Trump follows through with his threat to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. Trump has suggested that he wants Canada to become the U. S. 's 51st state. He also incorrectly sees the U. S. trade deficit with Canada as a subsidy. However, Canada is actually a major export destination for many U. S. states. Around $3. 6 billion Canadian dollars (about $2. 7 billion U. S. dollars) worth of goods and services cross the border daily.

Freeland's plan doesn't stop at retaliation. She also wants to prevent American companies from bidding on Canadian federal procurement (except for defense). Plus, she wants to hold an international summit with leaders from Mexico, Denmark, Panama, and the European Union to discuss how to tackle these trade challenges together. Some experts, like John Ries from the University of British Columbia, think Canada should retaliate but warn against making threats public. They worry this could make Trump more stubborn. Others, like Alberta's premier, Daniele Smith, are against stopping energy shipments to the U. S. Freeland's resignation last month as finance minister led to Prime Minister Trudeau's announcement to step down. The next Liberal leader could face a quick end to their term due to the threat of a no-confidence vote by the opposition parties.

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