Canada's Trudeau revives a Cabinet-level panel to address concerns about a Trump presidency
UNB
Publish: 08 Nov 2024, 01:01 PM
TORONTO,
Nov 8 (AP/UNB)- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he is
re-establishing a special Cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations to address
his administration's concerns about another Donald Trump presidency.
Deputy Prime Minister
Chrystia Freeland, who is also the country's finance minister, will chair the
committee, which also will include other top officials including ministers of
foreign affairs, public safety and industry.
"Following the
election of President Donald Trump for a second term, the Cabinet Committee
will focus on critical Canada-U.S. issues," Trudeau's office said in a
statement Thursday.
Canada is one of the
most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 75% of Canada's exports go to
the U.S.
During Trump's first
time, his move to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, or
NAFTA, and reports that he was considering a 25% tariff on the auto sector were
considered an existential threat in Canada at the time.
Trudeau called Trump on
Wednesday to congratulate him and the two discussed the new free trade deal
Trump reached during his first term with Canada and Mexico, the
U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced NAFTA.
Ottawa will soon have to
focus on a scheduled review of the agreement in 2026.
Although Trump once
called Trudeau "weak" and "dishonest" during his first
term, ties between the two countries have remained among the closest in the
world.
Freeland addressed
reporters twice on Wednesday in an effort to reassure Canadians.
"I know a lot of
Canadians are anxious. I want to say with utter sincerity and conviction to
Canadians that Canada will be absolutely fine," Freeland said.
"We have a strong
relationship with the United States. We have a strong relationship with
President Trump and his team. Let's remember that our trading relationship
today is governed by the trade deal concluded by President Trump himself and
his team," Freeland said.
During the recent
election campaign, Trump has proposed tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods -
and in some speeches has mentioned even higher percentages.
Nelson Wiseman, a
political science professor at the University of Toronto, said Canada should
expect new tariffs and pressure to increase its military budget.
According to NATO
figures, Canada was estimated to be spending 1.33% of GDP on its military
budget in 2023, below the 2% target that NATO countries have set for
themselves. Trudeau has said Canada will meet the alliance's target by 2032.
Trump has urged NATO countries to boost their own defense spending to ease the
burden on the U.S. to deter the alliance's enemies.
"I expect that the
free trade deal will be slightly modified as it was during Trump's first
presidency and not dramatically," Wiseman said.
"Tariffs will hurt
the Canadian economy economy but not cripple it. Canada has some cards to play
in negotiations including countervailing tariffs, the concerns of American
business leaders, and Canada's storehouse of critical minerals."
The Canadian government
notes the U.S. and Canada are each other's largest trade partners with nearly
$3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services crossing the
border each day in 2023.
The ties between the two
countries are without parallel anywhere in the world.
There is close
co-operation on defense, border security and law enforcement, and a vast
overlap in culture, traditions and pastimes - with shared baseball, hockey,
basketball and soccer leagues. About 400,000 people cross the world's longest
international border each day and about 800,000 Canadians live in the U.S.
Robert Bothwell, a
professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of
Toronto, said Canadians should be worried about potential rash actions on
tariffs and trade.
"How would you feel
if old Uncle Donald was feeling whimsical one morning and decided to do ... oh,
whatever he'd just heard on Fox News?" Bothwell said.
End/UNB/AP/SU