OTTAWA — Canada will hit back at the United States with 25 percent tariffs on C$30 billion of U.S goods as of Tuesday, and could follow up with a further C$125 billion in three weeks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Saturday night.

In a late-evening address from Parliament Hill, Trudeau said he was speaking directly to Americans as he announced Canada’s retaliation plan to President Donald Trump’s executive order confirming 25 percent tariffs on Canada. He framed it as an affront to the blood and treasure the two countries have shed as allies from the beaches of Normandy at the end of the Second World War to the alleyways of Kandahar, Afghanistan.

“During the day the world stood still, September 11, 2001 when we provided refuge to stranded passengers and planes, we were always there, standing with you, grieving with you, the American people together we’ve built the most successful economic, military and security partnership the world has ever seen a relationship that has been the envy of the world,” Trudeau said.

He also told Canadians they could do their part, essentially urging a grass-roots boycott of U.S. products they rely on in their daily lives.

“It might mean checking the labels at the supermarket and picking Canadian made products. It might mean opting for Canadian rye over Kentucky bourbon, or foregoing Florida orange juice altogether. It might mean changing your summer vacation plans to stay here in Canada,” he said.

Trudeau then rhymed off a list range of American products that would face tariffs:

“Wine and bourbon, fruits and fruit juices, including orange juice, along with vegetables, perfume, clothing and shoes … major consumer products like household appliances, furniture and sports equipment and materials like lumber and plastics, along with much, much more.”

Trudeau was speaking after a meeting with provincial and territorial premiers. He said he’s been trying to talk to Trump since his inauguration but has not connected.

The United States imported more than $400 billion worth of oil, autos, auto parts and other goods from Canada in 2024.

Trump announced tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China on Saturday afternoon. The additional tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods will be 25 percent, although only 10 percent on Canadian energy. The new tariff on Chinese goods will also be 10 percent.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Saturday that she has ordered her economy minister to implement “tariff and non-tariff measures” in retaliation for Trump’s move.

“Mexico does not want confrontation,” she said. “We start from collaboration between neighboring countries. Mexico not only does not want fentanyl to reach the United States, but anywhere.”

Brace for impact

“This is not a smart move. It’s selfish,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Saturday in comments addressed to the president. “It not only hurts Canadians, it hurts your own people. It hurts you and your administration. … It makes Americans poorer.”

In a letter to Trump on Saturday night signed by 42 House Democrats, Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) warned that a trade war will harm diplomatic ties and devastate U.S. households. “The real pain will be felt by everyday Americans,” he said.

In a statement late Saturday night, Ottawa said it intends to impose tariffs on an additional list of imported U.S. goods after a 21-day public comment period — “products such as passenger vehicles and trucks, including electric vehicles, steel and aluminum products, certain fruits and vegetables, aerospace products, beef, pork, dairy, trucks and buses, recreational vehicles, and recreational boats.”

“Trump’s tariffs will be paid by Americans. Like a tax,” Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) shared on X.

Flavio Volpe, the president of Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, told POLITICO that 25 percent tariffs will cripple the North American auto industry. “The industry will shut down in the U.S. and Canada and Mexico within a week, much like we saw it happen during the first phase of the pandemic and the Ambassador Bridge blockade,” he said.

“The one thing that none of us modeled, whether that’s industry or government or somewhere in between, is an American president that has complete disregard for American prosperity and economic health,” said Volpe, who is also a member of Trudeau’s Council on Canada-U.S. Relations, a group that includes interests from politics, business, labor and industry.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who traveled to Mar-a-Lago to ask Trump directly to exempt Canadian energy, called the policy “mutually destructive” and predicted it will strain the Canada-U.S. alliance.

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said last week that Trump’s trade policy will test Canada’s economy. “There’s no sugar coating this,” Ford said Saturday. “The coming weeks and months will be some of the toughest we’ve ever faced.”

Ford warned hundreds of thousands of jobs in his province are on the line. Bea Bruske, the president of the Canadian Labour Congress, has suggested 2.4 million jobs across Canada are at risk.

“Companies’ orders are going to slow down,” Ford said during a campaign stop outside Toronto. “Factories will have to reduce shifts. Workers may lose their jobs across Ontario.”

Ford has called a snap election in Ontario for Feb. 27 arguing that his majority government needs a stronger mandate to stand up to the U.S. president.

Trump’s announcement sparked anger and angst across Canada, with no better manifestation than the booing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the start of an NHL game in the Canadian capital.

“We don’t want to be here,” Trudeau said. “We didn’t ask for this, but we will not back down.”

Cross-border damage

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said residents of her border state are worried about the fallout. “When costs go up, it hits our paychecks, our jobs, and our economy,” she said on X. “People are speaking up about what this could mean for their families.”

American households and businesses are guaranteed to take a hit, said Candace Laing, the president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “He promised to bring costs down. No one can seem to make the MAGA math work on all of this,” she told POLITICO.

Canada’s Conservative leader condemned the tariffs as “massive, unjust and unjustified” in a statement Saturday calling for dollar-for-dollar retaliation.

“Canada is the United States’ closest neighbour, greatest ally and best friend,” Pierre Poilievre said. “We share the longest undefended border and fought alongside Americans in two world wars, Korea and Afghanistan, where 158 of our brave men and women died helping the U.S. avenge the 9/11 attacks.”

The White House said tariffs will remain in place until the fentanyl crisis is “alleviated,” but Ford told CNN that Canada is not to blame. “We’re responsible for .001 percent compared to Mexico,” he said. “We are no Mexico.”

Trudeau also rejected the assertion that fentanyl and illegal migrants are pouring into the U.S. from Canada unfettered. Nonetheless, he said, Canada can do more in the form of its C$1.3 billion border security package that three of his top Cabinet ministers were shopping across the U.S. capitol this past week.

Ford said that despite being on the campaign trail, he will join Canada’s premiers in Washington on Feb. 11 and 12.

“This isn’t a one-day battle. It’s not a one-week battle, it’s not a one-month battle,” he said. “It’s a four-year battle against President Trump.”