Provincial Leaders Unite Against Trump's Tariffs, but Differences Emerge on Response

Canadian premiers strongly condemned President Trump's looming tariff threat, but their unity quickly dissolved when it came to discussing potential responses to the trade war. The leaders of Canada's provinces and territories met for three days to discuss the economic impact of Mr. Trump's tariffs and the best way to counter them. While some premiers, such as Doug Ford of Ontario, advocated for retaliation against the United States, others, like Scott Moe of Saskatchewan, expressed concern that retaliatory tariffs would harm Canadian families and businesses.

Key Takeaways:

• The 13 premiers of Canada's provinces and territories met for three days to discuss the impact of President Trump's looming tariff threat.
• While they united to condemn the tariffs, their views on how to respond differed, with some advocating for retaliation and others expressing caution.
• The premiers discussed ways to offset economic losses from reduced trade with the United States, including rapidly building major infrastructure projects like oil pipelines.
• Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, urged retaliation if Mr. Trump follows through on his threat or if Canada is unable to reach a deal with the United States.
• Scott Moe, the premier of Saskatchewan, cited concerns about the impact of retaliatory tariffs on his province's grain farmers and Canadian families.
• The premiers also discussed plans to make Canada an "energy superpower" and to quickly build large infrastructure projects.
• Indigenous groups have challenged laws passed to fast-track approvals of large projects, citing violations of their land rights.
• Environmental concerns have also been raised about rushing major development.

Statistics:

• President Trump has threatened to impose 35 percent tariffs on Canadian exports starting August 1.
• The current tariffs on US steel, imposed by Canada in response to Mr. Trump's actions, are raising the cost of equipment used by Saskatchewan's grain farmers.
• The potential value of the accord to bring new oil pipelines to the Pacific Coast of Canada and to Ontario is unclear due to the absence of British Columbia and Manitoba from the deal.

Sources:

• This article originally appeared in the print edition of [Source: The New York Times, Date: July 2023].
• A version of this article appeared in [Source: The New York Times, Date: July 2023], [page A8].
• Statistics cited in the article come from statements by premiers and government officials.