Ottawa girds for Trump's possible return

Federal officials believe he would likely act on campaign threat to slap 10% tariff on all imports

- TONDA MACCHARLES

Kirsten Hillman, Canadian ambassador in Washington, left, Industry Minister FrançoisPhilippe Champagne, centre, and International Trade Minister Mary Ng talk with the Star's editorial board on Monday.

OTTAWA A re-elected Donald Trump would likely act on his campaign warning to slap a 10 percent tariff on all imports, and threaten several key Canadian economic sectors, senior Trudeau government ministers admit.

And while they said it doesn't matter to Trudeau's newly relaunched "Team Canada" effort who sits in the White House as president, the top diplomat and two politicians leading Canada's offence-defence strategy outlined to the Star's editorial board exactly how Ottawa is moving to counter that threat.

Kirsten Hillman, Canadian ambassador in Washington, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, and International Trade Minister Mary Ng said the strategy draws in part on the 2016-2019 playbook Canada used to fight Trump's aggressive renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

But this time it's different, said Hillman, because there is no specific renegotiation on the horizon despite a 2026 mandatory review of the rewritten NAFTA deal bringing with it specific trade questions on the table.

Instead, she said, Canada is lining up "strategic allies" to push back against any protectionist or isolationist measures, no matter which party is in the White House.

Still, Hillman and Ng said Canadian diplomats in the U.S. are taking Trump's campaign rhetoric seriously.

"What I think we've learned from the last Trump administration is that he will say things that seem outrageous, but you should listen to him when he says them because he will do them," said Hillman.