Trudeau calls Trump’s trade war ‘unacceptable’ as Canadian officials reach out to U.S. administration

U.S. President Donald Trump boasted Friday that “trade wars are good, and easy to win,” after his threat to tax steel and aluminum imports marked the latest flashpoint in simmering tensions over cross-border commerce between Canada and its largest trading partner.

The federal government, already at odds with Washington over the lingering softwood lumber dispute and grievances around ongoing NAFTA negotiations, now finds itself confronted with a president seemingly keen to pick a trade war.

Trump declared Thursday that the U.S. government will impose a 25 per cent tariff on imported steel and 10 per cent on aluminum, all in a bid to help boost domestic U.S. industries.

But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the proposed tariffs as “absolutely unacceptable” and warned they would cause “significant and serious” disruptions on both sides of the border.

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