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Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the first meeting of the newly established Council on Canada-U.S. Relations. The Council, which comprises leaders in business, innovation, and policy, will provide advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet on issues related to Canada-U.S. relations, including the threat of tariffs.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister and Council members highlighted the strong and successful relationship between Canada and the U.S. Our two countries are steadfast allies and partners, with the world’s most comprehensive trading partnership, which supports millions of jobs on both sides of the border.

Prime Minister Trudeau underscored the importance of building on this relationship and highlighted the economic benefits for the two countries. He also reiterated the harm that the proposed U.S. tariffs would have on both Canadian and American consumers and businesses. Council members reinforced the potential economic and social impacts these tariffs could have and discussed options to minimize their effect.

The Prime Minister outlined the full range of possible measures being considered by the federal government to ensure a robust response and protect Canadians. He highlighted the Team Canada efforts underway with provinces and territories to strengthen Canada’s relationship with the U.S. and protect Canadian investment and jobs. Prime Minister Trudeau also highlighted the actions Canada has undertaken to strengthen border security and immigration, as part of the recently announced $1.3 billion border action plan. Council members shared their perspectives and offered advice to support the government’s ongoing work on Canada-U.S. relations.

The Prime Minister expressed his thanks to Council members for their participation and support for this important work, and looked forward to their next meeting.

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