Canada blasts US tariffs "totally unacceptable", announces counter-tariffs

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said called U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to place tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel "punitive" and "totally unacceptable," and has outlined dollar-for-dollar retaliation, CTV news reported.

This morning, I called the Opposition leaders to notify them of our response. In closing, I want to be very clear about one thing: Americans remain our partners, friends, and allies. This is not about the American people," the PM said, adding that he believes that at some point their common sense will prevail.

"But we see no sign of that in this action today by the US administration," Trudeau said.

"These tariffs are totally unacceptable. For 150 years, Canada has been America's most steadfast ally," he stressed, noting that these tariffs will harm industry and workers on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.

The US administration announced yesterday that it would be implementing tariffs of steel and aluminum from Europe, Canada, and Mexico. Canada's planned retaliatory measures will take effect July 1 and stay in place until the U.S. backs down.