Trump says Canada-EU associate membership could be ‘hostile act’
Speaking to reporters in North Carolina, the president said if it's done with "bad intentions" he will "put very heavy tariffs on Europe."
President Donald Trump has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on European goods if Canada becomes the first associate member of the European Union, claiming it would be a "hostile act." Speaking to reporters in North Carolina, Trump also labeled Canada a "terrible trade partner" after signing a memorandum directing federal agencies to remove all products of Canadian origin.
The White House said the order was not related to Canada's closer ties with the EU. The move comes after Canada implemented a "Buy Canadian" policy, prioritizing Canadian companies in large federal purchases and restricting non-defence contracts to Canadian companies or international firms from countries that offer the same access to Canadian businesses.
This policy has been criticized as unreasonable and discriminatory by the U.S. administration, which has taken steps to hold Canada accountable for its treatment of U.S. goods in government procurement markets, amounting to over $280 billion annually.
Written by urgent.news from Global News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
