OTTAWA — U.S. President Donald Trump has announced 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including for Canada and Mexico.
Here's the latest news:
———
8:05 p.m.
Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland says the United States' decision to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum is "illegal and unjustifiable."
Freeland says if she were prime minister today, she would retaliate dollar for dollar.
She says she would also convene leaders of other key steel and aluminum producers such as the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia to push back against U.S. tariff threats.
———
7:25 p.m.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada are "totally unjustified."
Champagne says Canadian steel and aluminum support key industries in the United States, including defence, shipbuilding, energy and automotive.
The minister says the government is consulting with international partners and promises a "clear and calibrated" response.
———
6:15 p.m.
The president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce says news of tariffs on steel and aluminum makes it clear that "perpetual uncertainty is here to stay."
Candace Laing says the United States should remove tariffs on those industries so it can benefit from the expected job growth and GDP increase that would come with fewer trade barriers.
Laing says the tariff announcement should galvanize Canada's political parties to reconvene Parliament and "focus on what's within our control."
———
6 p.m.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed executive orders imposing 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States, including Canadian products.
The new duties come a week after Trump paused plans to hit Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs and a lower 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy.
Those levies have been delayed until at least March 4.
———
5:45 p.m.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he's in Washington to help change the minds of lawmakers as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Moe says Canada and the United States depend on one another's goods and are stronger economically when they can work together.
He says it's incumbent on Canadian political and industrial leaders to make the case to U.S. officials who can convince Trump tariffs are bad for the economy.
Moe says targeted counter-tariffs from Canada can be effective but that broad-based retaliatory measures are harmful.
———
4:23 p.m.
Toronto Region Board of Trade president and CEO Giles Gherson calls on the government to take immediate action to "shore up our economy and protect Canada’s economic sovereignty" in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threat.
The board of trade says its "emergency to-do list" includes imposing targeted counter-tariffs on U.S. products to protect Canadian steel and aluminum businesses and providing immediate financial support for Canadian steel and aluminum producers.
It says there is "little doubt that these crushing steel and aluminum tariffs may be the proverbial canary in the coal mine for a country pitching towards a serious national emergency."
———
2:30 p.m.
The White House says President Donald Trump’s executive order signing has been moved to 5:30 p.m. It was previously scheduled for 1 p.m.
No reason was provided for the delay.
———
1:25 p.m.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is travelling back to Washington, D.C., along with her provincial counterparts to lobby U.S. lawmakers and industry amid continued tariff threats from the U.S. president.
Smith says she will embrace a "Team Canada approach" to convince Americans the levies will harm workers and businesses on both sides of the border, while also highlighting the "significant" role Alberta energy exports play in the U.S.
At the same time, Smith is demanding the Canadian government reverse what she calls "soft-on-crime" federal law as part of its response to U.S. President Donald Trump's concerns about border security.
The premier says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government must reintroduce mandatory minimum jail sentences for drug offenders, or offer up federal funding for Alberta to take over drug prosecutions.
———
11:17 a.m.
Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford says he has spoken with the CEOs of Canadian steel companies Stelco and Dofasco this morning about looming U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Ford says he will wait until Trump’s formal announcement this afternoon before reacting to the tariffs, but notes Ontario is prepared to react “hard” and “fast.”
Ford, who is heading to Washington, D.C., this week in his role as Ontario premier, says his team is in “constant communication” with federal officials and other premiers on the issue.
———
10 a.m.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he would implement matching tariffs on American steel and aluminum if he was prime minister.
Speaking in Iqaluit, Poilievre says money collected by counter tariffs would go back to Canada’s steel and aluminum industry, with any surplus used for broader tax relief.
However, when asked about high food prices in the north, Poilievre says he’d put “every penny” collected by counter tariffs into lowering taxes.
———
7:40 a.m.
The head of the Canadian Steel Producers Association says she is "deeply concerned" about the latest tariff threat by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The U.S. president said on Sunday that he will formally announce 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. on Monday, including those coming from Canada and Mexico.
Catherine Cobden, CEO of the association, says when Trump implemented tariffs on Canadian steel in 2018, there were massive disruptions that hurt both Canada and the U.S. She called on Ottawa to act again to fight the threat and be ready to retaliate.
———
6 a.m.
Canadian ambassador to France Stéphane Dion says Canada and European countries are working on a cohesive strategy to address tariff threats from the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump said again Sunday that he wants to see Canada become a U.S. state, after being asked about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent comments saying Trump is not joking.
Trudeau is in Paris to attend the global summit on artificial intelligence. Late Sunday evening following a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trudeau did not answer reporters’ questions about Trump’s statements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2025.
The Canadian Press
