Canada's ambassador to the US has warned that Donald Trump’s pledge to raise import tariffs may prompt reciprocal measures from other countries, including trade partners.
In a recent interview, Ambassador Kirsten Hillman said the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) for free trade, brokered during Trump's tenure, should exempt her country from the Republican candidate's plan to impose 10 percent duties on goods from other nations if he is elected president for a second term in November.
Hillman noted that imports from China could be hit with a massive 60 percent tariff.
“It’s not a one-way street — if that policy is enacted, other countries will respond,” said Hillman, who participated in USMCA negotiations. "That could potentially raise costs for everybody.”
Hillman pointed to retaliatory tariffs imposed on steel and aluminium by trade partners following a similar measure by the Trump administration.
Trump forced Canada, and Mexico to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the USMCA after the Clinton-era deal caused job losses in the US manufacturing sector. Despite Trump's initial threats to end free trade in the region, the three countries brokered a deal that secured bipartisan support in Congress.
Hillman claimed she does not see the world splitting into rival trade blocs, although she believes in bringing certain supply chains, like food and energy, back to North America. She downplayed worries about the scheduled 2026 review of the USMCA, portraying it as a chance to enhance the agreement rather than renegotiate it.