Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlined how his country will respond to the blanket 25 percent tariffs President Trump imposed on Canada and Mexico. #CNN #News
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00:00We have some breaking news coming in. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking right
00:03now after the U.S. slapped Canada with 25% tariffs. Let's listen.
00:10So today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada. Their closest partner
00:16and ally, their closest friend. At the same time, they're talking about working positively
00:23with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense.
00:35Canadians are reasonable and we are polite, but we will not back down from a fight. Not
00:41when our country and the well-being of everyone in it is at stake.
00:49At the moment, the U.S. tariffs came into effect in the early hours of this morning,
00:56and so did the Canadian response. Canada will be implementing 25% tariffs against $155 billion
01:06worth of American goods, starting with tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods immediately
01:13and tariffs on the remaining $125 billion of American products in 21 days' time.
01:20And should these tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces
01:26and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures. Measures which will demonstrate
01:33that there are no winners in a trade war. Now, just like I did a month ago, I want to
01:42speak first directly to the American people. We don't want this. We want to work with you
01:52as a friend and ally. And we don't want to see you hurt either. But your government has
02:00chosen to do this to you. As of this morning, markets are down and inflation
02:09is set to rise dramatically all across your country. Your government has chosen to put
02:15American jobs at risk at the thousands of workplaces that succeed because of materials
02:22from Canada or because of consumers in Canada, or both. They've chosen to raise costs for
02:31American consumers on everyday essential items like groceries and gas, on major purchases
02:38like cars and homes, and everything in between. They've chosen to harm American national security,
02:47impeding access to the abundant critical minerals, energy, building materials, and fertilizers
02:54that we have and that the United States needs to grow and prosper.
03:02They've chosen to launch a trade war that will, first and foremost, harm American families.
03:10They've chosen to sabotage their own agenda that was supposed to usher in a new golden
03:16age for the United States. And they've chosen to undermine the incredible work we've done
03:24together to tackle the scourge that is fentanyl, a drug that must be wiped from the face of
03:31the earth. So on that point, let me be crystal clear. There is absolutely no justification
03:41or need whatsoever for these tariffs today. Now the legal pretext your government is using
03:50to bring in these tariffs is that Canada is apparently unwilling to help in the fight
03:57against illegal fentanyl. Well, that is totally false. Let's look at the facts. Our border
04:07is already safe and secure. Far less than 1% of fentanyl flows and less than 1% of illegal
04:15crossings into the United States comes from Canada. But we acted because we know we can
04:22always do better. We responded to concerns, including from the President, by implementing
04:28an ambitious $1.3 billion border plan. A border plan that includes generational investments
04:37in new AI and imaging tools to stop the flow of fentanyl in its tracks, stronger coordination
04:44and information sharing with American agencies, along with the deployment of drones, helicopters,
04:51and additional personnel to keep our border secure. Now a month ago, as part of an agreement
04:58with the United States that paused the tariffs, we made further commitments. We appointed
05:04Kevin Brousseau as our fentanyl czar, a man who dedicated his multi-decade career in law
05:11enforcement to combating organized crime networks and drug trafficking. We designated seven
05:18drug cartels, sick, evil groups who cynically profit off the pain and suffering of people
05:24on both sides of the border, as the terrorist organizations that they are. And just yesterday,
05:32we launched a new joint operations partnership supported by a $200 million investment between
05:40Canada's security and law enforcement agencies, a partnership that will enhance the coordination
05:46of information and intelligence in order to thwart criminal gangs involved in the illegal
05:52fentanyl trade. And critically, our actions are working. As the U.S. Customs and Border
06:03Protection just acknowledged, there was a 97% drop in fentanyl seizures from January
06:12compared to December, to a near zero low of less than half an ounce seized in January,
06:22even with all the further enforcements and actions we've taken at the borders. In sum,
06:31we stepped up. We engaged closely and constructively with the President and his administration.
06:38We did everything we promised. We stuck to our word. And we did it because we believe
06:46in working together to protect our citizens. Now I want to speak directly to one specific
06:56American, Donald. In the over eight years you and I have worked together, we've done
07:06big things. We signed a historic deal that has created record jobs and growth in both
07:14of our countries. We've done big things together on the world stage, as Canada and the U.S.
07:21have done together for decades, for generations. And now we should be working together to ensure
07:31even greater prosperity for North Americans in a very uncertain and challenging world.
07:38Now it's not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal, but Donald, they point
07:47out that even though you're a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do. We two friends
07:57fighting is exactly what our opponents around the world want to see. And now to my fellow
08:07Canadians, I won't sugarcoat it. This is going to be tough, even though we're all going to
08:16pull together because that's what we do. We will use every tool at our disposal so Canadian
08:22workers and businesses can weather this storm. From expanding EI benefits and making them
08:29more flexible to providing direct supports to businesses, we will be there as needed
08:35to help. But Canada, make no mistake, no matter how long this lasts, no matter what the cost,
08:43the federal government and other orders of government will be there for you. We will
08:49defend Canadian jobs. We will take measures to prevent predatory behaviour that threatens
08:56Canadian companies because of the impacts of this trade war, leaving them open to takeovers.
09:03We will relentlessly fight to protect our economy. We will stand up for Canadians every
09:10single second of every single day because this country is worth fighting for.
09:18The last few months have been stressful and honestly exhausting.
09:25All right, while the Prime Minister is speaking in French, I want to bring in CNN's Paula
09:30Newton. She's joining us from Ottawa and CNN White House reporter Alaina Treen. Paula,
09:34I've covered U.S.-Canadian relations for many, many years. I grew up in Buffalo, New York,
09:40right on the border with Canada. Our family used to go to Canada, to Ontario, Crystal
09:44Beach. Every summer we had a home there. So I spent a lot of time growing up effectively
09:49in Canada. I have never seen this U.S.-Canadian relationship deteriorate as seriously as it
09:56has right now. The Prime Minister of Canada saying the U.S. has declared a trade war against
10:03Canada. Have you ever seen this U.S.-Canadian relationship as bad as it is right now?
10:10Absolutely not, Wolfe. And I echo your thoughts. In my entire lifetime, Wolfe, in terms of
10:15what you speak in that very close friendship between Americans and Canadians, I have never
10:21seen anti-Americanism reach this height in my entire lifetime. And I want to note, Wolfe,
10:27that that was the Prime Minister, the man who will not be Prime Minister much longer,
10:31probably a matter of days. And it was really Justin Trudeau unplugged, saying that he could
10:38speak to the American people themselves in a blunt, forceful way because he doesn't have
10:42anything to lose now politically. And I do note that he basically said Donald, addressing
10:48him directly, you are a smart man, but echoing the words of the Wall Street Journal, this
10:53is a dumb thing to do. He also made it clear, though, to Canadians, Wolfe, that, look, he's
10:59not going to sugarcoat it and this will be tough. Wolfe, what's interesting here is that
11:03so many people across Canada are echoing what the Prime Minister has said. We have had leaders
11:08of provinces say that they are actually breaking up with America. And make no mistake here,
11:15Wolfe, this will hurt Canadians. This will really bite. But it will also hurt many Americans
11:21as well. In terms of what happens going forward, Wolfe, this is escalation. And Justin Trudeau
11:27is putting the United States on notice that there will be escalation. Key, though, he
11:32did speak to those strategic industries. When we talk about critical minerals, we've
11:36heard so much about how many Ukraine has. Canada, arguably, has some of the largest
11:41deposits of critical minerals in the world. They were willing to certainly open themselves
11:46up to even American companies that wanted to come in and try and exploit that and try
11:50and clear some of the regulatory hurdles. It's clear the Trump administration was not
11:54interested. Wolfe, this is a decoupling, not just from Canada, but certainly many, many
11:59Western allies and Europe right now have also been put on notice about tariffs in
12:04April are taking note. What happens next? We continue to see the fallout. We do hear
12:09that more measures, including what we've discussed weeks ago about things like US alcohol coming
12:14right off the shelves in Canada. That's just one example of something that will hit Republican
12:21states like Kentucky that will not be able to sell much of their bourbon into Canada
12:27at all. But there is so much more here at stake. Key is energy, both oil, but also natural
12:34gas and also electricity. And Canada, on the table right now, has a threat of putting an
12:41export tariff on that, which will instantly make energy much more expensive for Americans.
12:46Because the prime minister has started taking some questions from reporters. He's speaking
12:50about Vice President Pence right now. Excuse me, Vice President Vance right now. I want
12:56to listen.
12:57I want to show very clearly that in terms of taking action on fentanyl, we are doing
13:05everything that is necessary, and not just for the United States, for ourselves as well,
13:11as Canadians are suffering as well from the scourge that is illegal fentanyl. We have
13:21laid out extensive plans, actions, cooperations, including as recently as the past days in
13:28Washington, and they have always been very well received. And the numbers bear that out.
13:36I think in what President Trump said yesterday, that there is nothing Canada or Mexico can
13:43do to avoid these tariffs, underlines very clearly what I think a lot of us have suspected
13:49for a long time, that these tariffs are not specifically about fentanyl, even though that
13:56is the legal justification he must use to actually move forward with these tariffs.
14:03The United States has announced it's suspending aid for Ukraine.
14:06The prime minister, Justin Trudeau of Canada, and saying that basically this idea that the
14:11reason for these tariffs is because of fentanyl is a false pretext. And he talks about all
14:15the things that Canada has done to crack down, and that less than 1% of fentanyl that
14:21was seized at the U.S. border was from Canada.
14:24Elena, it struck me, you're at the White House, and I'm wondering, he talked about how he
14:29hasn't talked to Trump yet, he hopes to. He tried to appeal to him directly, saying Donald.
14:36And he said, you're a smart man, but this is dumb, saying that he agreed with the Wall
14:41Street Journal. Is there any reaction from the White House, Elena?
14:46From the moments that we've heard him say that, not yet that I've heard, Paula.
14:51But look, this is something – or, Pamela, excuse me – this is something that I think
14:55is definitely going to receive a reaction from the president and the White House.
14:59This is some of the strongest language we have heard yet from the prime minister.
15:04A couple of things that really struck out to me – struck out to me from what he has
15:08said. He said that they have stepped up, that they have been engaging repeatedly in
15:12conversations as recently in the last couple of days with the Trump administration, that
15:16they are doing everything that they can.
15:19As you mentioned, I think the point where he was addressing Donald, he was addressing
15:22the president directly by name, using that harsh language, going on to say, you know,
15:27we've worked together, we've had a relationship for several years, we've done big things
15:31together, we should be working together now.
15:34All things that we have heard, you know, him say, and maybe more nicer or friendlier terms
15:39before, but now you're hearing a very direct, harsh language from the prime minister.
15:44Look, I mean, from what the president said yesterday and what has been kind of clear
15:48is he said yesterday that he doesn't believe there's any more room to negotiate when it
15:52comes to what Canada and Mexico are doing.
15:55He has said very clearly that he believes they aren't doing enough on fentanyl.
15:59You heard the prime minister argue that he doesn't believe that's actually what these
16:02tariffs are about.
16:04And then today you've heard a lot of Donald Trump's cabinet members, people like Howard
16:07Lutner, the commerce secretary.
16:08You've heard Peter Navarro, a key trade advisor to the president, argue that if they do see
16:15some real changes in stemming the flow of migrants and fentanyl from coming over the
16:20border that perhaps these tariffs will be called off.
16:24But clearly this is a huge deterioration with allies that we have had.
16:28And one thing, of course, I think the real change that we could see is in the reaction
16:32that the president and the White House has to how the United States economy is being
16:36impacted already over the last couple of days, the last two days.
16:40We've seen the stock market drop some 1,300 points.
16:43We're seeing different companies like Target saying prices are going to increase.
16:47That is something as well that will ignite some sort of reaction from this White House.
16:52We see the Dow Jones industrials down now.
16:55Just today, 788 points, at least so far now 790 points.
17:01We heard the Prime Minister, Elena, cite the Wall Street Journal editorial, and today's
17:07the Wall Street Journal, usually a conservative editorial page.
17:10The headline is Trump Takes the Dumbest Tariff Plunge.
17:14And it writes this, we've courted Mr. Trump's ire by calling the Mexico and Canada levies
17:20the dumbest in history, and we may have understated the point.
17:24Mr. Trump is whacking friends, not adversaries.
17:28And you know, it's interesting because this U.S.-Canada relationship, which has always
17:32been so strong, so powerful, has now deteriorated to where this is going on.
17:38It's stunning.
17:39And he talked about the fact that this is exactly what our adversaries want, to see
17:43this deterioration of an alliance that has so much history.
17:48I want to bring in retired U.S. Army General, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Wesley
17:52Clark.
17:53He's joining us right now.
17:54General Clark, thanks so much for joining us.
17:56Let me first of all get your reaction to Prime Minister Trudeau's condemnation of what
18:01the Trump administration is doing here.
18:04Well, I think he's exactly right when he says that it's not about fentanyl.
18:09What is it about?
18:10What is it about when you want to sever the relationships with your closest ally?
18:15You know, you're worried about Chinese and Russian ships in the Arctic, and so we're
18:20going to have a breach of our work with Canada.
18:24It doesn't make sense.
18:26And so when you try to understand this, it doesn't make economic sense, it doesn't make
18:30strategic sense, it's just a break in the way that the U.S. operates.
18:35And yes, the market's going down, Wolf, because when you look at something like this, it's
18:39not just about the tariffs.
18:41It's about the credibility of the United States.
18:43It's about the trustworthiness of the president.
18:46It's about what kind of leadership he brings to the United States.
18:51There were issues in the election.
18:53People knew this, but people were concerned about the economy.
18:57Let's look at the economy.
18:59But I'm concerned about what's happening in global affairs and U.S. security.
19:05And when I see what's being done to Canada, a nation that's always been our ally, when
19:10I was NATO commander, I couldn't have gotten any stronger support from any nation than
19:14I did from Canada, as strong as the support I had from the United States.
19:18And yet, here we are, isolating Canada and isolating the United States, really, from
19:24our nearest neighbors.
19:25It's a real threat to U.S. security.
19:27It's not about fentanyl.
19:28It's about how to keep America safe, and this isn't the way to do it.
19:32It's hard to believe that this is going on.
19:35General Clark of The Wall Street Journal, in that editorial today, Trump takes the dumbest
19:39tariff plunge.
19:41They also write this, Mr. Trump is whacking friends, not adversaries.
19:46Do you agree with that?
19:48I do.
19:49I do.
19:50And, you know, well, if I was talking to some other analysts this morning, some very smart
19:55people on the inside, I think some people working in the administration really understand
19:59that President Trump's being played by Mr. Putin.
20:03But I don't know if President Trump really understands that.
20:06After smashing our relationships with allies, and I'm sure this will make President Putin
20:11really happy, too, after doing this and enticing Putin to come to the table, what are we going
20:16to say to him?
20:17He's going to ask for more and more and more.
20:20What's it really about?
20:22And so I look at this as a severe departure from a normal pattern of United States national
20:29security processes.
20:31We're bipartisan.
20:32We're nonpartisan on national security.
20:35And President Trump has come in here and wants to turn the table upside down.
20:39He wants to somehow cozy up to Mr. Putin and disregard and insult and separate the United
20:47States from our allies.
20:48This is not going to end well.
20:50Yeah, it's a pretty very, very serious situation unfolding right now.
20:54U.S. credibility with allies on the line right now.
20:58General Wesley Clark, thank you very, very much.