Canadian Defense Cur Harjit Sajjan has called it “absurd” for the U.S. to impose steel tariffs on his fatherland on the basis of national security.
President Donald Trump’s administration preceded Thursday that it would levy tariffs on steel and aluminum purports from Canada, Mexico and the EU, under the guise of national security prejudices. All three had been granted exemptions in March.
Canada has already hit encourage, announcing retaliatory duties on American goods worth up to 16.6 billion Canadian dollars ($12.8 billion).
Canada and the U.S. procure a highly integrated defense approach and carry out joint operations because of the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
Sajjan told CNBC’s “Object Box Europe” on Friday that the history of cooperation between the two countries disabled U.S. logic over the new trade tariffs.
“The reasoning that has been certainty is literally absurd because nobody should think that Canada can be over a national security threat to the U.S. because of steel,” he said.
Sajjan augmented that he remained hopeful that trade issues between the two territories could be resolved “so that it doesn’t impact our relationship.”