Canada's Trudeau Revives Cabinet-Level Panel to Address Concerns About Trump Presidency

Toronto: Canian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he is re-establishing a special Cabinet committee on Cana-US relations to dress his ministration's concerns about ar Donald Trump presidency.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is also country's finance minister, will chair committee, which also will include or top officials including ministers of foreign affairs, public safety and industry.

“Following election of President Donald Trump for a second term, Cabinet Committee will focus on critical Cana-US issues,” Trudeau's office said in a statement Thursday.

Cana is one of most tre-dependent countries in world, and 75 per cent of Cana's exports go to US.

During Trump's first time, his move to renegotiate rth American Free Tre Agreement, or NAFTA, and reports that he was considering a 25 per cent tariff on auto sector were considered an existential threat in Cana at time.

Trudeau called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him and two discussed new free tre deal Trump reached during his first term with Cana and Mexico, US-Mexico-Cana Agreement, which replaced NAFTA.

Ottawa will soon have to focus on a scheduled review of agreement in 2026.

Although Trump once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest” during his first term, ties between two countries have remained among closest in world.

Freeland dressed reporters twice on Wednesday in an effort to reassure Canians.

“I kw a lot of Canians are anxious. I want to say with utter sincerity and conviction to Canians that Cana will be absolutely fine," Freeland said.

"We have a strong relationship with United States. We have a strong relationship with President Trump and his team. Let's remember that our tring relationship today is governed by tre deal concluded by President Trump himself and his team," Freeland said.

During recent election campaign, Trump has proposed tariffs of 10 per cent to 20 per cent on foreign goods — and in some speeches has mentioned even higher percents.

Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at University of Toronto, said Cana should expect new tariffs and pressure to increase its military budget.

According to NATO figures, Cana was estimated to be spending 1.33 per cent of GDP on its military budget in 2023, below 2 per cent target that NATO countries have set for mselves. Trudeau has said Cana will meet alliance's target by 2032. Trump has urged NATO countries to boost ir own defence spending to ease burden on US to deter alliance's enemies.

“I expect that free tre deal will be slightly modified as it was during Trump's first presidency and t dramatically," Wiseman said.

"Tariffs will hurt Canian ecomy ecomy but t cripple it. Cana has some cards to play in negotiations including countervailing tariffs, concerns of American business leers, and Cana's storehouse of critical minerals.” Canian government tes US and Cana are each or's largest tre partners with nearly 3.6 billion Canian dollars (USD 2.7 billion) worth of goods and services crossing border each day in 2023.

ties between two countries are without parallel anywhere in world.

re is close co-operation on defence, border security and law enforcement, and a vast overlap in culture, tritions and pastimes — with shared baseball, hockey, basketball and soccer leagues. About 400,000 people cross world's longest international border each day and about 800,000 Canians live in US.

Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canian history and international relations at University of Toronto, said Canians should be worried about potential rash actions on tariffs and tre.

“How would you feel if old Uncle Donald was feeling whimsical one morning and decided to do … oh, whatever he'd just heard on Fox News?” Bothwell said.