Canadian PM Carney calls Trump’s auto tariffs a ’direct attack’ on his country

Canadian PM Mark Carney condemns Trump's auto tariffs as a direct attack, vows to protect Canadian auto jobs.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday (March 26, 2025) that U.S. President Donald Trump’s auto tariffs are a “direct attack” on his country and that the trade war is hurting Americans, noting that American consumer confidence is at a multi-year low.

Mr. Trump said earlier Wednesday (March 26, 2025) that he was placing 25% tariffs on auto imports and, to underscore his intention, he stated “This is permanent.”

“This is a very direct attack,” Mr. Carney responded. “We will defend our workers. We will defend our companies. We will defend our country.”

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Mr. Carney said he needs to see the details of Mr. Trump’s executive order before taking retaliatory measures. He called it unjustified and said he will leave the election campaign to go to Ottawa on Thursday (March 27, 2025) to chair his special Cabinet committee on U.S. relations.

Mr. Carney earlier announced a CA$2 billion ($1.4 billion) “strategic response fund” that will protect Canadian auto jobs affected by Mr. Trump’s tariffs.

Autos are Canada’s second largest export, and Mr.Carney noted it employs 1,25,000 Canadians directly and almost another 5,00,000 in related industries.