Canada has stressed its importance to the United States. The development comes shortly after President-elect Donald Trump said he would impose high import tariffs on all goods from the neighbouring country as soon as he returns to the White House in January.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland, and Canada’s Public Safety Minister, Dominic LeBlanc, made this known in a joint statement on Tuesday.
“Canada and the United States have one of the strongest and closest relationships, particularly when it comes to trade and border security,”
“Canada places the highest priority on border security and the integrity of our shared border,” they said.
The ministers noted that Canada is essential to the U.S. domestic energy supply, explaining that 60 percent of U.S. crude oil imports last year came from Canada.
The statement also highlighted the cooperation between Canadian and U.S. law enforcement to disrupt the scourge of the fentanyl coming from China and other countries.
They added that the country will of course continue to discuss critical issues with the incoming administration.
However, they did not specifically mention Trump’s announcement from a couple of hours earlier.
Trump said on Truth Social, the social media platform he co-founded, that he would sign an executive order imposing a 25 per cent tariff on products coming into the U.S. from Mexico and Canada, justifying the move on the grounds of immigrants bringing crime and drugs with them across these two borders into the U.S.