What's Trump's endgame with global tariffs? Canadian officials say they have a clearer idea

After a lengthy gathering with U.S. President Donald Trump's apical commercialized officials connected Thursday, Canadian representatives accidental they person a clearer knowing of the rationale down Trump's insistence connected tariffs — not conscionable connected Canada but connected the full world.

"Tariffs are present a planetary argumentation of the United States," said David Paterson, Ontario's typical successful Washington. "And this is simply a historical alteration to planetary trading patterns, and [the Americans are] precise alert of that."

Paterson, on with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, and national furniture ministers, met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer — the constituent radical connected Trump's commercialized agenda.

In an interrogation connected Power & Politics, Paterson told big David Cochrane that the Canadians and Americans had a 90-minute gathering and the archetypal half-hour was "a maestro class" from Lutnick successful breaking down the U.S. presumption connected tariffs.

The absorption of the U.S. authorities is dealing with its yearly shortage successful national spending, Paterson said. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the national authorities ran a $1.83 trillion US deficit successful the 2024 fiscal year.

There are 3 ways the U.S. authorities is moving to chopped down that deficit, Paterson added.

The archetypal is simply a large fund solution that calls for billions of dollars successful taxation cuts, and the 2nd is slashing the size of authorities done Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The 3rd is tariffs, which are meant to beryllium a caller gross root and pull concern into the United States.

Paterson said the American program is to enforce tariffs by assemblage crossed countries each astir the satellite connected April 2. From there, the countries that get on with the U.S. the champion volition beryllium "first successful line" to set oregon mitigate the tariffs.

"This is the policy. This is the mode they're going forward," Paterson said. "And I deliberation [Thursday] gave america a batch of clarity."

In an interrogation connected Rosemary Barton Live airing Sunday, Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., said the Americans walked the Canadians done Trump's commercialized docket and gave them a accidental to inquire questions and explicate however Trump's commercialized disruptions are hurting the Canadian economy.

Hillman described the gathering arsenic "concrete" and appreciated the conversations, but she noted that thing changed successful presumption of the ongoing commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the U.S.

The ambassador told big Rosemary Barton that the Americans cognize Canada volition respond to Trump's tariffs connected April 2 and that Trump's team "deeply focused" connected that deadline.

"It's the remainder of the satellite that is going to present beryllium brought into their plan. And that is [the Americans'] singular focus," Hillman said. "After that happens, past we'll spot what they deliberation the adjacent measurement mightiness be."

Following the Thursday meeting, Ford told reporters helium feels similar "the somesthesia is being lowered, the temperature's coming down" aft the bilateral talks.

"This, I tin honestly say, was the champion gathering I've ever had coming down here. We privation the champion result for some countries. We're similar a household — sometimes there's hostility betwixt families, but that was an highly productive meeting. I'm feeling positive," the premier said.

Canada-U.S. tariffs

The national authorities announced a program connected Wednesday to slap tariffs connected $29.8 cardinal worthy of American goods to deed backmost against Trump aft helium imposed punishing tariffs connected Canadian alloy and aluminum.

Dominic LeBlanc, who was serving arsenic concern curate astatine the clip of the announcement, said Canada "will not basal idly by portion our iconic alloy and aluminum industries are being unfairly targeted."

LeBlanc said the American products being deed with these tariffs see U.S.-made alloy and aluminum, computers, sports instrumentality and definite formed robust products, among others.

WATCH | Canada announces $29.8 cardinal successful retaliatory tariffs:

Trump's tariffs connected each alloy and aluminum imports, which took effect conscionable aft midnight Wednesday, are abstracted from the different tariffs Trump levied connected Canada past week — and aboriginal partially dialled backmost — to supposedly unit the state to bash much astatine the borderline connected drugs and migrants.

Canada instantly levied tariffs connected $30 cardinal worthy of American goods successful effect to those archetypal tariffs — and didn't instrumentality them disconnected adjacent aft Trump rejigged his tariff regime.

All told, Canada is applying a 25 per cent tariff to immoderate $60 cardinal worthy of American goods arsenic payback for some Trump's border- and metals-related tariffs.

The authorities is besides holding backmost tariffs connected different astir $100 cardinal worthy of American goods that volition beryllium imposed if Trump goes up with a 3rd circular of what he's calling "reciprocal" tariffs connected goods from astir the satellite connected April 2.