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TORONTO: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday called American tariffs “very dumb” and said that US President Donald Trump is appeasing Russia while launching a trade war against Canada.
In a blunt news conference during his final days in office, Trudeau said that Canada would plaster retaliatory tariffs on more than $100 billion of American goods in response to Trump’s 25 percent tariffs.
“Today the United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same, they are talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” a visibly angry Trudeau said.
Trump imposed tariffs against Washington’s three biggest trading partners, drawing immediate retaliation from Mexico, Canada and China and sending financial markets into a tailspin. Just after midnight, Trump put 25 percent taxes, or tariffs, on Mexican and Canadian imports, though he limited the levy to 10 percent on Canadian energy.
“What he wants to see is a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us,” Trudeau said. “That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state.”
Trudeau addressed Trump directly by his first name.
“I want to speak directly to one specific American, Donald,” Trudeau said. “It’s not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal, but Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do.”
Later Tuesday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the US would likely meet Canada and Mexico “in the middle,” with an announcement coming as soon as Wednesday.
Lutnick told Fox Business News that the tariffs would not be paused, but that Trump would reach a compromise.
“I think he’s going to figure out, you do more, and I’ll meet you in the middle in some way,” Lutnick said.
In a post on Truth Social earlier Tuesday, Trump said: “Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the US, our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!”
Trump has threatened Canada’s sovereignty, provoking anger in the country. Canadian hockey fans have been booing the American national anthem at recent NHL and NBA games. Trudeau channeled the betrayal that many Canadians are feeling.
“Canadians are hurt. Canadians are angry. We are going to choose to not go on vacation in Florida,” Trudeau said. “We are going to choose to try and buy Canadian products ... and yeah we’re probably going to keep booing the American anthem.”
The premier of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, said that he would issue a 25 percent export tax on electricity sold to the US and may later cut it off completely if the American tariffs persist. Ontario powered 1.5 million homes in the US in 2023 in Michigan, New York and Minnesota.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also told The Associated Press that he would stop the sale of nickel and rare minerals to the US
Ontario and other provinces already began removing American liquor brands from government store shelves. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario sells nearly $1 billion Canadian dollars ($687 million) worth of American wine, beer, spirits and seltzers every year.

KAMPALA: The UN has launched an emergency appeal to raise $11.2 million to help fund Uganda’s response to an Ebola outbreak that has killed two people, after the country’s health budget was strained by US cuts to foreign aid.

Uganda declared the outbreak of the highly infectious and often fatal hemorrhagic disease in January in the capital Kampala after the death of a male nurse at the East African country’s sole national referral hospital.

A second Ebola patient, a four-year-old child, died last week, the World Health Organization said, citing the country’s Health Ministry.

Uganda’s 10 confirmed cases have been linked to Ebola’s Sudan strain which does not have an approved vaccine.

In a statement sent out on Tuesday, the UN said the funds would cover the Ebola response from March to May in seven high-risk districts.

“The goal is to rapidly contain the outbreak and address its impact on public health as well as associated social-economic life of affected people,” said Kasonde Mwinga, Uganda representative for the World Health Organization, a UN agency.

Uganda has traditionally relied heavily on the US for its health sector funding.

During the last Ebola outbreak in 2022-2023, the United States provided $34 million to fund case management, surveillance, diagnostics, laboratories, infection prevention and control among other activities, according to a US Embassy report.

But President Donald Trump’s administration imposed an aid freeze and US funding to Uganda’s health sector has been slashed, hitting the country’s public health budget, according to government officials.