Published 09:04 IST, January 18th 2025
'If President Goes Ahead...': Canada Issues Strong Warning to US Amid Trump's Tariff Threats
Joly told the media, "We have a series of measures that are already prepared, certainly, tariffs linked to imports."

Toronto: Canada on Friday (January 17) issued a strong warning to the United States saying that the nation is all ready with suitable measures if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his threat to impose them, Reuters reported.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told the media, "We have a series of measures that are already prepared, certainly, tariffs linked to imports. If the President goes ahead on Monday, we will be ready."
"And we are ready for a second round and we are ready for a third round," she added.
This comes as earlier, US President-elect Donald Trump made a bold statement suggesting that the United States and Canada could become one entity, eliminating the "artificially drawn line" between them. "Canada and the United States, that would really be something," Trump said during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. “You get rid of the artificially drawn line and you take a look at what it looks like ... and it would also be much better financial security," Trump stated, suggesting that Canada should become the 51st state and continued to threaten major tariffs on both Canada and Mexico.
Trump also criticised American spending on Canadian goods, stating, "Why are we supporting a country with $200+ BILLION a year? They should be a state!" He threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico unless the two countries addressed border security concerns.
Trump’s remarks about Canada have been sharp and critical in recent weeks. On Tuesday, he commented, “You get rid of the artificially drawn line and you take a look at what it looks like... and it would also be much better for national security.” He added that the US is currently spending "hundreds of billions" to protect Canada and criticised trade deficits with the country.
The President-elect jokingly referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "governor" and even quipped about hockey legend Wayne Gretzky becoming the "governor" of Canada if it were to become the 51st US state. Trump’s comments come after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his intention to step down, amid party turmoil over how to handle Trump’s aggressive trade policies.
Trump, who will officially take office on January 20, assured that he would not use military force against Canada, but instead, would rely on "economic force." However, he declined to rule out military action to reclaim control of the Panama Canal and acquire the Danish territory of Greenland, citing "economic security" concerns.
Updated 09:04 IST, January 18th 2025