‘We will be ready’: Joly says Canada is prepared as Trump confirms tariffs coming tomorrow

Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly speaks with journalists before attending a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S. Relations, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Monday, March 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says Canada is prepared for a trade war with the U.S., should President Donald Trump implement the sweeping tariffs he’s threatened, as promised, on Tuesday.

“We will be ready,” Joly told reporters on Parliament Hill Monday, categorizing Trump’s tariffs as “an existential threat.”

Trump first threatened the punishing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods in late November, with the stated aim of stopping the flow of illegal migrants and drugs crossing the border from Canada into the U.S.

After signing an executive order on Feb. 1 to implement the levies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau struck an 11th-hour deal to delay them for 30 days.

Canada’s retaliatory tariff plan includes two phases, announced by Trudeau last month, said to total $30 billion in U.S. goods in the immediate term. A further round of tariffs on a wider list of American products, valued at $125 billion, is expected to come into effect 21 days later, following a public comment period.

Joly said that plan is still in place.

“We are not looking for this, we’re not seeking this,” Joly said, pointing to Trump’s Feb. 1 executive order linking the looming tariffs to border security.

“We know that’s not the case at the border,” she also said. “We know we have a good plan. We know that we’ve invested in it. We know that we’ve answered questions that the Trump administration has had regarding our efforts.”

As part of the effort to get Trump to back off his tariff plan, Trudeau recommitted his government’s $1.3-billion border plan – which includes deploying additional personnel, drones, surveillance equipment and helicopters — along with other promises.

On Monday, however, Trump confirmed there will be no more reprieves for Canada, telling reporters in the White House there’s “no room left” for negotiation.

“They’re all set,” he said. “They go into effect tomorrow.”

Trump has promised additional rounds of tariffs, including 25 per cent on steel and aluminum as of March 12, and reciprocal tariffs starting early next month.

National Defence Minister Bill Blair also told reporters on Parliament Hill on Monday that Canada will be prepared to respond to Trump’s first round of levies, saying discussions with the U.S. administration are still underway.

“I think it’s deeply regrettable and will have a very significant impact, not just on Canadians, but also on Americans,” Blair said of the tariffs.

Ford ready to cut off electricity to U.S.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford — who is also the chair of the Council of the Federation of Canada’s premiers — said his province is also ready to “respond strongly” to Trump’s tariffs.

Ford is threatening to cut off exports of Ontario nickel, take American alcohol off liquor store shelves and scrap provincial government contracts with U.S. companies, adding Trump has given Canadian governments “no choice.”

“I’m going after absolutely everything, and I don’t want to,” Ford said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, adding Ontario supplies electricity to New York, Michigan, and Minnesota, and he’s prepared to cut it off.

“If he wants to destroy our economy and our families, I will shut down the electricity going down to the U.S.,” he said. “And I’m telling you, we will do it. It’s unfortunate.”

The Ontario premier, who won a third majority government last week, said Trump’s tariffs will force the markets of both countries “to go downhill faster than the American bobsled team,” adding it’s going to be an “absolute disaster.”

Ford said he’s been speaking with several American governors, senators and congresspeople, who all agree the tariffs are “the craziest thing that someone could ever do.”

With files from CTV News’ Rachel Aiello and Colton Praill