By Amanda Stephenson
CALGARY (Reuters) -Any Canadian response to U.S. tariffs will be regionally fair and equitable and not single out Alberta, Canada’s main oil-producing province, Canada’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said on Wednesday.
Wilkinson told reporters Canada’s response would focus on products in a way that hurts Americans more than Canadians.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian exports to the U.S. as soon as Saturday. Canada plans to respond with counter-tariffs on U.S. goods, and concerns the federal government could also restrict oil exports or impose export tariffs have caused tensions with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Wilkinson later said in an interview he believes Canada could still avoid being hit by tariffs entirely, adding Canada has already taken steps to address border security concerns raised by the U.S.
Canada sends 75% of all goods and services exports to the United States. Canada has been the top source of U.S. oil imports for many years, and supplied more than half of total U.S. crude imports in 2023.
Wilkinson told reporters that Canada must not respond in a way that damages its own long-term interests or hits one single sector or region disproportionately.
“You cannot single out the west. It has to be something that is going to be fair,” he said. “If there is pain, Quebec will feel it, Ontario will feel it, the west will feel it, Atlantic Canada will feel it.”
He told Reuters if tariffs were implemented, Canada’s first response would be to retaliate against American goods sold in Canada, for which Canadian consumers can find alternatives.
But he added that while Canada’s response to U.S. tariffs would be “thoughtful,” he stopped short of ruling out oil export tariffs entirely.
“At this stage, you don’t take any tools off the table . . . even if some of those tools are things that it’s unlikely that you’re going to use, at least in the early-term.”
(Reporting by Amanda Stephenson; Editing by Caroline Stauffer, Rod Nickel and Lincoln Feast)
