Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau concerned over USA tariffs

Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he was concerned about reports that the US was considering reimposing tariffs on Canadian aluminium and possibly steel.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, Trudeau said he looked forward to congratulating US President Donald Trump on US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) which came into force on July 1, replacing the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), reports Xinhua news agency. Trudeau did not travel to Washington on Wednesday to attend a meeting with Trump and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador marking the launch of the new trade deal.

He told reporters that it's really important that at a time of economic strain and stress, Canada continues to "have access to the world's most important market and this is good for Canadian workers and Canadian jobs right across the country".

"At the same time, we are concerned about the threat of extra tariffs on aluminium and possibly steel.

"This is something that again is a little difficult to understand because the US relies heavily on imports of Canadian aluminium, in particular, for their domestic manufacturing capacity," he said. Trudeau said the US doesn't produce nearly enough aluminium to be able to cover its needs. (IANS)

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