{"id":14728,"date":"2025-01-28T20:54:28","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T20:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/01\/28\/trump-tariffs-on-canada-still-on-the-books-for-feb-1-white-house-national\/"},"modified":"2025-01-28T20:54:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T20:54:28","slug":"trump-tariffs-on-canada-still-on-the-books-for-feb-1-white-house-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/01\/28\/trump-tariffs-on-canada-still-on-the-books-for-feb-1-white-house-national\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump tariffs on Canada \u2018still on the books\u2019 for Feb. 1: White House – National"},"content":{"rendered":"


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U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> still plans to enact 25 per cent tariffs<\/a> on goods from Canada and Mexico starting this weekend, the White House said Tuesday.<\/p>\n

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Speaking at the first press briefing of the new administration, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt<\/a> said she had discussed the issue with Trump and does not believe the president has wavered from the Feb. 1 start date for those tariffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as I\u2019m still tracking, and that was last night talking to the president directly, Feb. 1 is still on the books,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Canadian officials have been mounting a full court press on the Trump administration to try and prevent the economically-damaging tariffs, including pitching enhanced trade and energy partnerships, while also preparing a potential response.<\/p>\n

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told reporters on Tuesday that \u201cwe need to ensure we\u2019re trying to shield Canadians from the fallout.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The federal government has also made new investments in border security to address concerns raised by Trump about fentanyl and human trafficking.<\/p>\n

Leavitt brought up Trump\u2019s \u201cspecific statements in terms of Canada and Mexico when it comes to what he expects in terms of border security\u201d while discussing the tariffs, but did not say if Trump believes Canada has done enough.<\/p>\n

She pointed to last weekend\u2019s standoff with Colombia, which initially refused U.S. repatriation flights of deported migrants but then backed down when Trump threatened tariffs, as an example of the use of tariffs as a negotiating tool.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI won\u2019t get ahead of the president on advocating to foreign nations what they should or shouldn\u2019t do to get away from these tariffs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe president has made it very clear that he expects every nation around this world to cooperate with the repatriation of their citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Despite Ottawa\u2019s border plan, Trump has more recently brought up the U.S. trade deficit with Canada<\/a> and imbalances in defence spending to justify his tariff threat.<\/p>\n

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He has repeatedly said Canada should become a U.S. state instead of the U.S. \u201csubsidizing\u201d its northern ally.<\/p>\n

Leavitt wouldn\u2019t say if the 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as additional tariffs Trump has promised on Chinese goods, will \u201cstack up\u201d along with universal tariffs on select materials like steel and aluminum.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I can point you to is what the president has said on this front: the Feb. 1 date for Canada and Mexico, also the China tariff he has discussed \u2026 I\u2019ll leave it for him to make any decisions on that front,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n