Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland says she knows how to avoid punishing U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods: Scare the Americans out of the idea.
Freeland says in a statement Canada needs to release a retaliatory list totalling $200 billion against U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened 25 percent tariffs.
She says Ottawa must immediately publish a consultation on a detailed, dollar-for-dollar retaliation plan that includes high-priority targets such as Florida oranges, Wisconsin dairy and Michigan dishwashers.
Freeland is also calling for a “buy Canadian” plan in the event Trump moves ahead on the tariffs, threatening to cut off the U.S. from Canadian government procurement—with the exception of defence.
Rival candidate Mark Carney said in an interview with Radio-Canada over the weekend that cutting off Quebec’s hydro exports to the U.S. should remain an option on the table in a trade fight with Trump.
Leadership hopefuls only have hours left to sign up party members who can vote in the race, with the cutoff deadline set for 5 p.m. today.
