Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s says Canada’s response to possible tariffs by the U.S. will be “appropriate but firm,” adding that Canada is a key partner to the United States supply chain.
Questions on the economic saber rattling between Canada and U.S. President Donald Trump dominated Morneau’s visit to Vancouver on Tuesday, both at a discussion session with the Business Council of British Columbia and later at the UBC campus. He said Canada’s approach to recent policy decisions by the U.S. government, namely an imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum, will be measured in nature.
“If required, we will be firm in our response, appropriate but firm,” Morneau said without going into detail what a response may look like or whether there is the option of pulling out of the talks for a new North American Free Trade Agreement. “We don’t see that linking steel and NAFTA is going to help us to get to an agreement.”
