Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics 'We're going to fight': Canadians support their government not backing down to Trump Canadians say they are glad their government isn't backing down in the trade war with the U.S. The Americas 'We're going to fight': Canadians support their government not backing down to Trump September 14, 20264:41 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition By Dan Karpenchuk 'We're going to fight': Canadians support their government not backing down to Trump Listen · 3:39 3:39 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5965850/nx-s1-9924955" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Canadians say they are glad their government isn't backing down in the trade war with the U.S. Sponsor Message Transcript
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President Trump's newest tariffs against Canada take effect tomorrow. Bans on goods such as Canadian dairy and alcohol kick in at the end of the month. Now, this comes after Canada retaliated last week for Trump's August tariffs. As Dan Karpenchuk reports from Toronto, most Canadians stand with their prime minister.
DAN KARPENCHUK, BYLINE: Prime Minister Mark Carney maintains that Canada is ready to talk to the U.S. in a professional way and negotiate reasonably.
PRIME MINISTER MARK CARNEY: We think there is a mutually beneficial deal possible that respects our sovereignty and is in the interests of both countries.
KARPENCHUK: Trump, however, has put a different spin on that, saying at last week's Republican gathering in Texas, that Canada is, quote, "dying to make a deal." The full impact of the recent U.S. tariffs hasn't hit yet, but some Canadian companies have been feeling the tariff pain for a year and a half, ever since Trump launched his first tariff attack on Canada. This is especially so in sectors such as steel and aluminum, autos and lumber.
DAVID VELLA: Our sales to the U.S. have dwindled.
KARPENCHUK: David Vella is one of the founders and CEO of Crown Cookware of Toronto, a family-owned business. The company's products use aluminum. He says the last 18 months have been difficult enough.
VELLA: Like, 40% of our business to the U.S. in commercial sales is gone, mostly through Amazon or our website that we sell to the U.S. And we have customers calling us from the U.S. that want to buy our product, but it's just cost prohibitive in many cases.
KARPENCHUK: Vella says one of his Canadian competitors with 90% of its business coming from south of the border is relocating to Buffalo, New York. Canada's auto sector, too, is bracing for another hit. Fifty percent tariffs from Trump threatened for January of next year. Lana Payne is the president of Canada's largest private sector union, Unifor, which includes autoworkers.
LANA PAYNE: If we allow Donald Trump to deindustrialize Canada, we will wake up two years from now and all of that volume, all of that production, all of that capacity will be gone. So we need an industrial plan that keeps this together for the next two years, 'cause honestly, I don't see us getting a trade deal anytime soon.
KARPENCHUK: Payne's comments reflect the mood of a majority of Canadians, that it was right to walk away from the recent trade talks in Washington, even if it means some economic pain.
DOUG FORD: I'm proud that the prime minister didn't accept that deal because it would have been a disaster.
KARPENCHUK: Ontario Premier Doug Ford has defended Canada's auto sector, which is based mainly in his province. He's made the argument that tariffs don't work. He's also on board with Prime Minister Carney's approach to the trade war.
FORD: So we're going to stand up, and we're going to fight like we've never fought before. I'm going to work closely with the prime minister, and I think all the premiers have taken that approach.
KARPENCHUK: Prime Minister Carney says his government has a $7.5 billion strategy to protect Canadians and businesses as the trade war ramps up. As for getting the two sides back to the bargaining table, there appears to be little movement. Moshe Lander is an economist at Concordia University.
MOSHE LANDER: I don't think that the Americans particularly care if there is a deal or not, and that's the problem, is you're trying to nail Jell-O to the wall. So it really is going to be important to see what happens in those November elections.
KARPENCHUK: Many Canadians will be watching the November elections, hoping the Democrats regain some power and open the door to more cooperative trade talks. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters over the weekend in Ireland, Trump said he expects a trade deal with Canada soon. Ottawa's point person on the negotiations, Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, responded by saying he has nothing new to share.
For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.
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