Taiwo Popoola
A Canadian senior government official on Sunday said Canada will take legal action under the relevant international bodies to challenge the 25% tariffs imposed by the United States on most of its goods, calling the tariffs illegal and unjustified.
This is coming a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a Wide array of Retaliatory Levies of 25% on U.S. goods in response to the tariffs announced on Saturday by President Donald Trump.
“We will pursue the legal recourse that we believe we have through the agreements that we share with the United States,” the official said, briefing reporters in Ottawa on condition of anonymity.
Trump had applied a 25% import tariff on all Canadian goods, except energy products such as oil and gas and electricity, which will carry a duty of 10% while entering the United States.
The 25% tariff will be in effect starting on Tuesday, while the energy tariff will be implemented starting on February 18.
Responding, Canada has imposed tariffs on 1,256 products, or 17% of all the products imported from the United States, starting on Tuesday.
The products, including orange juice, peanut butter, wine, beer, motorcycles, cosmetics and more – will add up to up to C$30 billion.
Some of the big ones are cosmetics and body care at C$3.5 billion, appliances and other household items at C$3.4 billion, and pulp and paper products C$3 billion, the official said.
The Canadian government will publish another list in three weeks that will include products such as passenger vehicles and trucks, including electric vehicles, steel and aluminium products, certain fruits and vegetables, and aerospace products, the government said in a statement.
The imports have a total value of C$125 billion, it added.
According to the official, the Canadian government considered the move by Trump illegal and said it violates the trade commitments between the two countries under their free trade agreement and the World Trade Organization.
“If other legal avenues are available to us, they will be considered as well,” the official said.
The U.S. tariffs and the countermeasures taken by Canada will affect the Canadian economy, the official said.
Earlier on Sunday, the government said it would provide a mechanism for Canadian businesses to obtain relief from retaliatory tariffs.
