A4 | N E WS G THE GLOBE AND M AIL | SATUR DAY, MARC H 1, 2025

Ottawa open to discussing U.S. tariff proposal: Joly

U.S. Treasury Secretary ations, said they had a produc-
tive briefing Monday with Cana-
Bessent said Canada dian diplomats who were in
should copy Mexico’s Washington for their annual con-
idea and also match ference at Canada’s embassy. The
pair outlined a range of solutions
those imposed on China to Canada’s ambassadors to Mex-
ico and the U.S., as well as Cana-
da’s consuls general from across
STEVEN CHASE U.S. states. A day later, the pair
MIKE HAGER VANCOUVER said, they had an informal meet-
ing with Ms. Geddes.
They said they were impressed
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie with Ottawa’s commitment to
Joly said Friday Ottawa is willing working with American partners
to discuss a new request from on this front.
Washington that Canada match The pair’s message to the Can-
any U.S. tariffs imposed on China adians was that “a strong offence
to create what U.S. Treasury Sec- is a good defence” and they of-
retary Scott Bessent is calling fered them a playbook for im-
“fortress North America.” proving enforcement against the
Mr. Bessent said earlier that bustling trade in deadly synthet-
day that Mexico has proposed ic drugs and the money launder-
matching U.S. tariffs on China in ing that accompanies it.
a move that he described as “very Public Safety Canada did not
interesting” and one that Canada comment on these meetings.
should copy. In recent weeks, Ottawa has
Top Mexican officials have committed $1.3-billion to a bor-
met with members of U.S. Presi- der plan aimed at preventing fen-
dent Donald Trump’s cabinet tanyl trafficking, including
this week for trade talks ahead of Minister of Public Safety David McGuinty, centre left, and fentanyl czar Kevin Brosseau, centre right, speak to scrambling Black Hawk helicop-
a March 4 deadline, when Mr. reporters in front of a Black Hawk helicopter used to patrol the border in February. PATRICK DOYLE/REUTERS ters and drones, and deploying
Trump’s proposed tariffs on Mex- more front-line personnel and
ican and Canadian imports are Finance Dominic LeBlanc will Mr. Trump said Thursday that “These actions strengthen our canine teams on the ground.
set to take effect alongside an ad- talk to Scott Bessent about it.” he still plans to impose 25-per- existing robust controls on sub- Mr. Asher said he advised the
ditional 10-per-cent duty on Chi- The proposal came from Mex- cent tariffs on goods from Cana- stances linked to the illegal drug Canadians that the country
nese imports. ican government efforts to dis- da and Mexico on Tuesday, alleg- market and help ensure law and should strike a joint task force
Canada is currently making its suade Mr. Trump from proceed- ing drugs are “still pouring into” border enforcement have the with the U.S. to disrupt the oper-
own last-ditch efforts to avert the ing with his tariffs. This would the United States from both tools they need to combat fenta- ations of the Mexican cartels
U.S. tariffs with a suite of Cana- amount to 25-per-cent tariffs on countries. nyl production and stop precur- across the continent.
dian cabinet ministers meeting Canadian and Mexican goods, al- Mr. Trump had paused the sor chemicals before they can be “I don’t think that a bunch of
key Trump administration offi- though the levy on Canadian en- threatened tariffs on Feb. 3 for 30 used to manufacture toxic drugs helicopters and dogs is actually
cials to plead Ottawa’s case. Pub- ergy and critical minerals would days after Canada and Mexico sold on our streets,” the Depart- enough,” he said in an interview
lic Safety Minister David McGuin- be 10 per cent. pledged new measures to streng- ment of Health said in a state- Thursday.
ty wrapped up a three-day meet- Washington has embraced the then surveillance of their shared ment. Mr. Donovan, who played a
ing in Washington Friday. idea. borders with the U.S. as well as Before the ministerial push be- key role in the arrest of Joaquín
Asked about Mr. Bessent’s pro- “I think it would be a nice ges- more efforts to fight the illegal gan this week, a group of Cana- Guzmán Loera (El Chapo), the
posal, Ms. Joly said Canada is ture if the Canadians did it also production and distribution of da’s top diplomats and Deputy cartel boss who ran his Canadian
open to the idea. so in a way we could have for- the opioid fentanyl. He also said Minister of Public Safety Tricia operations from Vancouver, said
“When it comes to the U.S. and tress North America from the the delay would allow time to re- Geddes received advice from two he also urged Canadian officials
their own concerns, we’re able to flood of Chinese imports that’s ach a “final economic deal.” organized crime experts with ex- this week is to send intelligence
have conversations, we’re very coming out of the most unbal- The Canadian government has tensive ties to the U.S Drug En- analysts and law enforcement
open to have also trade-related anced economy in the history of been announcing drug busts and forcement Administration on agents to Mexico to “establish a
conversations, including when it modern times,” Mr. Bessent said crackdown efforts on fentanyl how to crack down on the illicit footprint.”
comes to China,” she told report- in an interview with Bloomberg and other drugs all week. On Fri- fentanyl trade . There, he said, those agents
ers during a visit to the Port of TV. day, Ottawa unveiled new restric- David Asher, a senior fellow at could work with American and
Vancouver. Bloomberg, citing a person fa- tions on three precursor chem- the conservative Hudson Insti- Mexican partners to disrupt the
“So, I’m convinced that I will miliar with the idea, has reported icals used in illegal production of tute think tank, who has advised export of illicit drugs into Canada
be able to have these conversa- that the proposed tariffs by Mex- fentanyl: phenethyl bromide, the U.S. DEA for more than two by the cartels.
tions with Secretary of State Mar- ico on China would focus on cars propionic anhydride and benzyl decades, and Ray Donovan, that
co Rubio, and also the Minister of and auto parts. chloride. agency’s former chief of oper- With a report from Reuters

B.C. lifts two interprovincial trade restrictions ahead of expected U.S. tariffs
JUSTINE HUNTER VICTORIA pose punishing tariffs on Cana- and another that could be used to nal trade barriers could add an selves in this new reality, and
dian imports. limit government procurement. extra $200-billion to the Cana- that’s probably the best way to
At a meeting of provincial and The looming trade war with dian economy and minimize the handle this.”
British Columbia joined the fed- territorial trade ministers, B.C. the United States has lent urgen- impact of U.S. President Donald She said that includes taking
eral government on Friday in lift- withdrew two of its exemptions cy to a decades-long effort to un- Trump’s looming tariffs. down interprovincial trade bar-
ing some of its interprovincial under the Canadian Free Trade lock east-west trade within Cana- “What we found in the room riers where possible, as well as
trade restrictions, just days before Agreement (CFTA): one that re- da. today is more substantive and working together to reach non-
the United States intends to im- stricted investments in fisheries, Ottawa says eliminating inter- dramatic movement than we’ve U.S. markets abroad.
seen in meetings before, and real- “We need to be looking at ways
ly coming so much closer to to provide sovereignty and sus-
meeting that goal,” Diana Gibson, tainability on an East-West basis,
British Columbia’s Minister of separate and apart from some
Jobs, Economic Development market development, but just in
and Innovation, told reporters terms of our own security needs,
following the meeting of the like around energy,” Ms. Notley
Committee on Internal Trade in said.
Toronto. The council, which was an-
“I really am confident that you nounced in January includes
will see substantive changes in leaders in business and labour as
the movement of business and well as former politicians and
services, that allows that eco- strategists, is set to meet Monday,
nomic activity to grow, and we’ll one day before the U.S. is set to
see that GDP impacts coming.” impose broad tariffs on Canadian
Last week, the federal govern- imports.
ment moved to eliminate 20 of 39
federal exemptions under the
CFTA.
Earlier this week, Nova Scotia What we found in the
Premier Tim Houston introduced
a bill aimed at reducing interpro- room today is more
vincial trade barriers. B.C. Pre- substantive and
mier David Eby complimented dramatic movement
the proposed legislation and said than we’ve seen in
his province may table
The first exception that B.C. meetings before, and
has dropped is a tit-for-tat mea- really coming so much
sure that allowed the province to closer to meeting that
impose reciprocal restrictions on goal.
other jurisdictions that limited
B.C. suppliers’ access to procure- DIANA GIBSON
ment opportunities. BRITISH COLUMBIA’S MINISTER OF
The second lifts investment re- JOBS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND
INNOVATION
strictions in the fisheries sector.
Federal Transport and Internal
Trade Minister Anita Anand went Mr. Trump says that planned
into the meeting asking the prov- 25-per-cent tariffs on most Cana-
inces to recognize out-of-prov- dian exports, and a 10-per-cent

       ince labour certifications and reg- levy on Canadian energy prod-
        ulations. ucts, are set to take effect Tues-
       Former Alberta premier Ra- day.
chel Notley, who is a member of Recent provincial budgets in
the Council on Canada-U.S. Rela- Alberta and Nova Scotia are fore-
tions that was established by casting significant deficits - even
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the threat of tariffs has shown
       
  response to the trade dispute,
said Friday that taking down in-
signs of dampening the Canadian
economy.

             !    ternal trade barriers is just one of Ms. Notley is urging the prov-
the changes Canada must make inces to protect their social safety
     !         as it adjusts to a new economic re- nets as the economy is buffeted.
                 ality. “When you have a serious eco-
“The reality is that the uncer- nomic shift, you know that the
                tainty is having a tremendous im- folks that feel it the most are the
   pact in places all over the coun- most low-income and most vul-
try,” Ms. Notley said in an inter- nerable parts of our society. And
view. “We have to understand so whatever we do, we need to be
that this is a change in the rela- focused on supporting them, so
tionship that has existed for dec- that we don’t create a whole sec-

 





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to start thinking about how we With reports from
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