In the coming days, Mark Carney will take the oath as the new leader of Canada. Before the internal elections in the Liberal Party, Carney spoke out about the 25 percent tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico. The new prime minister stated that his country will maintain retaliatory tariffs until the United States shows respect towards Canada. In a speech, Carney mentioned: "There is someone trying to undermine our economy. We will not let that happen."
Donald Trump's tariffs against Mexico and Canada came into effect on March 4. In response, the still prime minister Justin Trudeau announced similar tariffs on U.S. exports valued at approximately $20.6 billion. These tariffs affected products such as liquors, vegetables, clothing, shoes, and perfumes, with the intent to impact Republican states in the U.S. Canada filed a complaint with the WTO arguing that the tariffs violated the USMCA.
At the provincial level, several Canadian regions also adopted additional measures. Mark Carney, a 59-year-old former central banker, was elected leader of the Liberal Party and the next prime minister of Canada. Carney will replace Justin Trudeau, who resigned in January and announced his victory in the party elections with 85.9 percent of the votes.
Carney criticized Donald Trump's actions, stating that he was affecting Canadian families, workers, and businesses and that they would not allow him to succeed. In a speech, he mentioned: "During a crisis, it is important to distinguish what cannot be controlled from what can be." Ontario even ordered the Liquor Control Board of Ontario to stop selling American alcoholic beverages, affecting annual sales valued at one billion Canadian dollars.
