OTTAWA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called for national unity Tuesday to navigate the trade conflict with the United States, as Canada's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports took effect early in the morning.
"Every time we choose to buy Canadian, travel in Canada, we're sending a message that nobody in this country is in the stands. Forty million of us are on the ice," Carney said in his latest "Forward Guidance" national video address.
Trade negotiations between Canada and the United States collapsed in late August, after Washington imposed 50 percent tariffs on 20 billion U.S. dollars' worth of Canadian goods. In response, Ottawa began imposing equivalent retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports, including steel, dairy, agricultural equipment, pulp and electronics.
"There's always a cost to action. But it doesn't come close to the cost of standing still," Carney said.
Reiterating his position, Carney said that the U.S. side raised unreasonable demands at the 11th hour that threatened Canada's sovereignty and core industrial interests. Canada chose to walk away from a bad deal and implement countermeasures, he added. ■