Canadian PM Justin Trudeau calls U.S. tariffs 'totally unacceptable' and 'an affront' to Canada

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau says U.S.-imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum are "totally unacceptable" and represent "a turning point in the Canada-U.S. relationship."

Speaking at a news conference Thursday, the normally mild-mannered young prime minister expressed particular dismay that the tariffs announced by the Trump administration were being imposed on national security grounds to protect the U.S. economy and vital industries.

Trudeau said it was "inconceivable" to call Canada a national security threat and "an affront" to a country whose soldiers have fought and died alongside American soldiers from Normandy to Korea to Afghanistan.

He made it clear his anger was directed at the Trump administration and not the United States. 

"Americans remain our partners, friends and allies," he said. "This is not about the American people. We have to believe that at some point their common sense will prevail. But we see no sign of that in this action today by the U.S. administration."

The Trump administration imposed a 25% steel tariff and 10% aluminum tariff on Canada, Mexico and the European Union, all of which were previously exempted. The tariffs were set to take effect Friday.

In response, Canada plans to hit U.S. steel items with a 25% tariff and consumer goods with a 10% tariff. Those tariffs will take effect in a month. In addition, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada will challenge the Trump tariffs at the World Trade Organization.

On Friday, Trump appeared to double down, saying Canada had treated U.S. farmers "very poorly for a very long period of time." 

Trudeau told reporters Trump's move effectively scuttled efforts to negotiate a revised North American Free Trade Agreement deal among the U.S., Mexico and Canada by demanding that Canada agree to a five-year “sunset clause," which Trudeau rejected.

Despite the national security rationale for the U.S. tariffs, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told reporters earlier in a conference call that the U.S. president was moving against Canada because the NAFTA talks “are taking longer than we had hoped.”

Trump said in a statement late Thursday that the U.S. "has been taken advantage of for many decades on trade."

"Those days are over," he said. He said he told Trudeau that the U.S. "will agree to a fair deal, or there will be no deal at all.”