This week, Canada's foreign minister is going to speak with EU representatives about a response to Trump's tariffs. Trump has promised to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada if the countries do not do more about illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl to the United States.
Canada is trying to bring together the EU, Britain and Mexico for a coordinated response to the tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened on goods from the countries.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joy said this on Monday, January 27.
The minister told reporters in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, that she had been in contact with Mexico's foreign minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente and that she would reach out to British officials and representatives of the 27 EU countries this week.
"The focus of my discussions with the British and the Europeans will be how we respond to the tariffs. Our approach is that it is something that needs to be coordinated," she says.
Trump has promised to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada if the countries do not do more about illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl into the United States.
A few hours after Trump was sworn in as president on Monday last week, he said that he was considering a 25 percent tariff on goods from the two countries, and that the tariff could be imposed as early as February 1.
Last week, the president also said that he believes there is a worrying imbalance in trade between the United States and the European Union, that goods from the EU would be subject to tariffs.
He has not said how high the tariff on goods from the EU will be, or when he plans for the change to take effect.
However, nothing is certain yet, and Trump has not yet signed an executive order on the tariffs.
The Canadian foreign minister also called on Monday for increased trade between Canada and the EU. This should be done to reduce dependence on the American market.
On Wednesday, Joy will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the United States. She remains hopeful that Canada can avoid the tariffs.
Our goal is to prevent tariffs, and we believe that it can be done and that diplomacy will work, she says.
Canada's Minister of Public Safety, David McGuinty, said on Monday that less than one percent of illegal immigration and fentanyl entering the United States originates from Canada.
Source: Sermitsiaq (in Danish)
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