Canadian team told Trump's tariffs unavoidable in short term in surprise Mar-a-Lago meeting
CTV
During a surprise dinner at Mar-a-Lago, representatives of the federal government were told U.S. tariffs from the incoming Donald Trump administration cannot be avoided in the immediate term, two government sources tell CTV News.
During a surprise dinner at Mar-a-Lago, representatives of the federal government were told U.S. tariffs from the incoming Donald Trump administration cannot be avoided in the immediate term, two government sources tell CTV News.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Trump and members of his team on Friday evening in West Palm Beach, Fla., where sources say border security and trade were discussed.
The meeting comes just days after Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports unless Canada addresses his border concerns, which include illegal border crossings and drug trafficking.
According to sources, Trump and his team conveyed that they plan to balance their federal budget through tariffs, and then strike exemption side deals on a country-by-country basis.
The nearly three-hour dinner was also described to CTV News by two people who attended as positive and wide-ranging. Other topics discussed included fentanyl, NATO, Ukraine, energy, China and next year's G7 summit in Canada.
Leaving his hotel on Saturday morning, Trudeau briefly spoke to the media, saying he had an "excellent conversation" with Trump. The prime minister returned to Canada late Saturday morning.
