Canada’s premiers meeting with U.S. politicians in D.C. following new tariffs

Canada's 13 premiers and territorial leaders are planning to present a unified front to U.S. officials in Washington D.C. Judy Trinh has the details.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s launch of new steel and aluminum tariffs targets Canada disproportionately and puts the country’s premiers on their back heels as they arrive in Washington, D.C. to defend against a widening trade war.

Trump’s executive order will take effect on March 12, and imposes 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium on all countries. Canada is the top exporter to the U.S. of both metals and sells about $35 billion to American companies yearly.

“We are going to react and react fast,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said a few hours before Trump officially announced the tariffs on Monday evening. “We’re going to make sure we protect the families and the people in those sectors.”

Ford, who is the current chair of the Council of the Federation, is leading 13 provincial and territorial leaders in a united effort to stave off an economic war. The steel and aluminium tariffs rupture the temporary pause that Trump had promised just last week.

In a series of meetings this week with U.S. lawmakers and CEOs, the premiers hope to persuade them to apply pressure to the Trump administration to exempt Canada, their biggest customer, from tariffs.

Ford says the premiers will emphasize “everything the U.S needs off of Canada (and) everything the U.S. needs off of Ontario - and how important the trading partner of Ontario and Canada is.”

“We’re their number export destination in the world,” Ford said before his arrival to D.C.

Who are the premiers meeting with?

On Tuesday, Ford will hold a fireside chat with members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest lobbying group in the United States. Each premier will also fan out to meet with politicians and industry players that are key to each province.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe arrived Monday to meet with a U.S. law firm that lobbies on behalf of the prairie province’s interest. Despite Trump’s broken promise of a 30-day reprieve, Moe says Canada should not immediately counter retaliatory tariffs at this point but continue focusing on diplomacy.

“What’s far more effective is us ensuring that everyone that is close to President Trump or involved in the administration, whether from us as sub-national leaders or industries that do business on both sides of the border, that they understand the full impact of what tariffs will do,” Moe said in an interview with CTV National News.

The premiers will also meet with Republican North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer to get insight on Trump’s reasoning and other ways to fend off tariffs. Cramer, according to his website, is a “strong advocate for the free market system.”

The Republican senator also chairs the Airland Subcommittee which oversees the U.S. air force and army. Cramer is a Trump supporter and represents a state with several military bases and recruiting stations.

Trump has previously stated that NATO allies should contribute 5 per cent of their GDP on military spending. Canada’s current military spending amounts to 1.37 per cent of its GDP and has previously committed to reaching the 2 per cent target by 2032. However, some Liberal leadership hopefuls are floating the idea of reaching 2 per cent in two years during Trump’s second presidential term.

Why the tariffs?

As Trump shakes up global trade, the best explanation for his tariff moves may be in a policy document written by Stephen Miran -- Trump’s pick to lead his Council of Economic Advisors. He believes the protectionist policies will lead to a stronger dollar which will offset any immediate risks that new tariffs could pose to consumers.

According to Miran, tariffs can be used by the U.S. to generate revenue, but also wielded by the administration to protect domestic industries and extract concessions from other countries.

Since his inauguration, Trump has threatened to annex Canada. Last week at a Canada-U.S. Economic summit in Toronto, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told an audience of 200 Canadian business executives and labor leaders that Trump is not joking when talks about making Canada the “51st state,” and that he wants access to Canada’s trove of critical minerals.