The Blubber

Liberal Leader Mark Carney said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on nearly every trading partner risk “rupturing the global economy,” undermining growth, and causing serious harm to workers and businesses both in Canada and around the world.

Carney condemned the tariffs on Canadian exports as “unjustified, unwarranted, and, in our judgment, misguided,” and said Canada must respond with “carefully calibrated and targeted countermeasures” to send a clear message that the country will not tolerate such an economic assault.

He announced that Canada will impose tariffs on U.S.-made vehicles that do not meet the standards outlined in the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, mirroring the American action taken against Canadian auto exports on Wednesday.

“We must respond with both purpose and force,” Carney said. “We are a free, sovereign and ambitious country. We are masters in our own home. We will fight to bring these tariffs to an end.”

Government estimates suggest the tariffs will affect billions of dollars in imported American passenger vehicles. The move follows retaliatory tariffs Canada imposed last month on approximately $60 billion worth of U.S. goods in response to Trump’s earlier protectionist measures.

Though Canada was spared the harshest of the latest U.S. tariffs, Carney warned that the damage is already being felt. Stellantis plans to halt operations at its large Windsor, Ontario assembly plant, putting about 3,200 autoworkers at risk due to the new tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles.

Carney also said that Ottawa is bracing for additional tariffs in the coming days on Canadian lumber, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors, as Trump justifies the levies under claims of “national defence.”

Speaking from Ottawa, Carney said the government will do everything possible to shield Canadian workers, including providing financial support where needed. He pledged that all revenue raised from tariffs on American goods will go directly toward supporting those most affected during what he called “a potentially turbulent time.”