US-Canada Relations Never the Same Again: Canadian FM

By Staff, Agencies

On Friday, Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly delivered a sharp warning to European leaders following US President Donald Trump’s imposition of steep tariffs on allied nations.

“We know that the relationship will never be the same again,” Joly said at NATO headquarters, where she was attending a meeting of allied foreign ministers, adding, “That's my message to Europeans, the relationship with the US will never be the same.”

Trump imposed a 20% tariff on EU imports, reviving trade barriers since the Great Depression and placing Europe, along with China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, on Washington's blacklist.

We buy more from the US than the UK, France, China and Japan combined," Joly told reporters. "When you treat your best client the way we've been treated ... it means that you want fundamentally to change the way you're operating.”

She cautioned that the tariffs would effectively burden American consumers and called on Europeans to relay that message to the US public to help sway the administration.

The trade war between the US and Canada began as Trump imposed steep tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, framing the move as necessary for national security.

Canada, one of the US' closest allies and largest trading partners, responded with retaliatory tariffs on US goods, including agricultural products and consumer goods.

The tensions marked a dramatic shift in North American relations.

Joly said Trump's goal was to do "a global reset on trade," which had started with Canada.