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President Trump has postponed stiff tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days. That has averted a trade war for now, but the incident has dented relations among the allies. NPR international affairs correspondent Jackie Northam reports on the Canadian reaction from Ottawa.
JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE: When President Trump announced last weekend that he was slapping 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, the reaction was immediate. Ottawa announced its own tariffs against the U.S. Canadians began booing during "The Star-Spangled Banner" at sporting events, and a campaign was launched to boycott American products.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES")
MARK CRITCH: (As character) What the hell are you doing?
CHRIS WILSON: (As character) What?
CRITCH: (As character) That's Heinz ketchup.
WILSON: (As character) So?
CRITCH: (As character) It's American.
NORTHAM: This Canadian comedy skit from CBC's "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" show demonstrates how to avoid buying groceries from the U.S.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) We all have to do our part. There's only one winner in a trade war.
NORTHAM: Humor aside, the tariff threat by Trump hit a nerve with Canadians.
ROLAND PARIS: I have never seen the Canadian public so angry and determined to stand up to Trump's threats against Canada's economy and sovereignty.
NORTHAM: Roland Paris is a professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa and a former foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He says the whole incident has damaged relations between Canada and the U.S. that will last for some time.
PARIS: Certainly, it's an inflection point in Canadian attitudes towards the United States. Although both countries have had trade disputes in the past, Canadians never believe that the United States would threaten to cripple our economy. And that assumption, that trust, has been shattered.
NORTHAM: President Trump says a trade war was averted after he wrenched concessions out of Canada to curb the flow of fentanyl crossing the border. That includes creating a joint strike task force to take on organized crime and appointing a so-called fentanyl czar. Trudeau said Canada had already launched a $1.3 billion plan to beef up border security, and that the amount of fentanyl crossing the northern border is a fraction of what crosses from Mexico, leaving many Canadians wondering why President Trump was prepared to unleash a trade war.
ROBERT ASSELIN: So I would say there are a lot of moving targets with him. He keeps changing kind of his story on what exactly he wants from Canada.
NORTHAM: Robert Asselin is senior vice president at the Business Council of Canada, located here in Ottawa. He gives Trump credit for trying to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. but says Canada isn't the problem and that even though a trade war was avoided, it still had an impact, rocking stock markets and undermining confidence in future investments and the like. Asselin says the tariff flap is more than just a disagreement. Canada may have to rethink its trading paths going forward.
ASSELIN: So sure, we can, you know, start making alliances with other countries and exporting our natural resources to Asia a bit more and building capacity to do so. But at the end, we thought the best way would be to kind of agree with the Americans that there's a path forward and that each country can find benefits in this relationship.
NORTHAM: For many Canadians, Trump's decision to slap tariffs on Canada feels personal. It comes after the president has suggested Canada become a 51st state and calling Prime Minister Trudeau governor.
DOUG TALBOTT: You know, he's playing to the MAGA guys.
NORTHAM: Ottawa resident Doug Talbott (ph) says people are tired of being bullied.
TALBOTT: I get it, but it's a little tiring to listen to, you know, from a Canadian perspective, right? We're not really - you know, most of us have no animosity towards these states at all, right? In fact, we've had a wonderful relationship. So why is this guy trying to taint it? Like, I just don't get it.
NORTHAM: And the country may well have to go through this again if President Trump fulfills his promise to impose tariffs on Canada in 30 days. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Ottawa.
(SOUNDBITE OF DRAKE SONG, "STORIES ABOUT MY BROTHER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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