Confusion abounds with Trump expected to hit Canada with tariffs on Tuesday

Canada is preparing for U.S. President Donald Trump to hit the country with potentially devastating tariffs on Tuesday, but the federal government and the premiers say they are in the dark about what will actually materialize and how high those promised levies will be.

Even Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the U.S. tariff czar, said Monday he doesn't know what exactly will transpire tomorrow, saying it's Trump who will make the final call.

"He's going to decide today. We're going to put it out tomorrow," Lutnick said in an interview with CNN.

The president has said he wants to punish Canada for a supposedly lax approach to drugs and migrants even though data shows a border crackdown is already producing results.

"He knows they've done a good job on the border. They haven't done enough on fentanyl. Let's see how the president weighs that today," Lutnick said.

But the commerce secretary said there's no doubt some sort of trade action will come about tomorrow.

"We're going to put out those tariffs," he said.

There is, however, a chance the tariffs won't be a high as 25 per cent, as Trump originally promised, Lutnick said in a Sunday interview with Fox News.

"It's a fluid situation. There are going to be tariffs on Tuesday on Mexico and Canada — exactly what they are I'm going to leave that for the president and his team to negotiate," Lutnick said.

If Trump doesn't announce a decision at some point today, there's a chance Trump's 25 per cent levy on virtually all Canadian goods (with a 10 per cent tariff on energy) could automatically take effect just after midnight. 

After Trump agreed to back down on tariffs for a month, he issued an executive order that said the tariffs "shall be paused and will not take effect until March 4, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time."

Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand said the government is waiting like the rest of the country to see what happens.

"We see numerous dates on different goods coming from the White House," she said in an interview with CBC's Rosemary Barton Live on Sunday.

Whatever the outcome, "we will meet any Trump tariffs dollar for dollar and we will retaliate to the tune of about $155 billion in aggregate. We are prepared for any eventuality," Anand said.