Trump says Canada ‘entitled’ as his trade ban on alcohol, other goods nears

WASHINGTON — With just hours to go before import bans on certain Canadian goods were set to take effect, U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he thinks he can make a trade deal with Canada in the coming weeks. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he thinks the Canadian side will contact him in the next three or four weeks and the United States will “win everything.” “They’re gonna come in and they’re gonna say, ‘Sir, we are sorry,'” Trump said.

“They’ve treated the United States very, very badly. I think a deal will be made but it’s gonna be fair.” Trump’s bans — which mainly affect some alcoholic drinks, dairy byproducts and motorcycles — are set to begin at 12:01 a.m. It’s the latest escalation of the trade war since negotiations between the two countries ended acrimoniously last month.

Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office said Monday that “we take note of the coming into force of the Administration’s previously announced trade measures.” “As has been the case for the last 18 months, our first priority remains on protecting and supporting Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses from these unjustified actions,” said Gabriel Brunet, LeBlanc’s spokesperson. “Our core focus is on what we can control: building strength at home, diversifying our partnerships abroad, and building Canada strong for all Canadians.” While the trade restrictions on Canadian goods are unlikely to significantly affect Canadian economic growth in the near term, they represent the latest fracture in Ottawa’s relationship with the Trump administration. Trump on Monday repeated his inaccurate claims about Canadian agriculture tariffs, as well his more recent allegations about Canada’s immigration system letting people in unchecked.

Peter Navarro, Trump’s senior adviser on trade and manufacturing, told reporters that Canadians were “the most difficult and arrogant of the traders.” He claimed Ottawa was “getting in bed with” Beijing — despite the fact that Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington last week. United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said last week that “the reality is President Trump is comfortable where we are on Canada.” Greer said the Canadians “call us now and then” and there are conversations about potential deals. “There’s no urgency on our side, I will say,” Greer told CNBC on Sept.

A U.S ban on imports of Canadian alcohol, as well as some dairy products and motorcycles is set to go into effect tonight, marking the latest escalation in the trade war.