Tax on steel: “we are ready to react,” says Bill Morneau

Photo archives Agence QMI, MAXIME HUARD
Bill Morneau

QMI agency

Sunday, march 4, 2018 14:09

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Sunday, march 4 2018 14:10

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OTTAWA | The canadian government is ready to replicate, to the imposition of a tax on us imports of steel and aluminum, as proposed by the president, Donald Trump, has assured the minister of Finance, Bill Morneau, Sunday.

Passing to the issue of Question Period CTV, the minister explained the intention of trying to convince the Americans that they are wrong in wanting to impose customs duties of 25 % on steel and 10% aluminum.

“I spoke with the secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin, to give him our point of view. It was well understood. We will ensure that all persons affected by this decision will tend towards what, we hope, will be the good answer”, said the minister Morneau.

The minister also explained that his government is seeking to explain to us policymakers that a trade war would be bad for Canada and the United States.

In the event that the administration of Donald Trump go to the same forward with this protectionist measure, the canadian government is “ready to respond”, however, has assured Mr. Morneau, without specifying what measures Ottawa should put in place.

The leader of the conservative Party, Andrew Scheer, also of passage on the show “Question Period”, has accused the liberals of not taking seriously the threat of a trade conflict with the United States.

“There was not a single paragraph in the budget […] announcing a plan in case the NAFTA (free trade Agreement north american) would be derailed, or that other trade irritants would appear”, he denounced.