Ottawa:
US tariffs on Canada will be paused for 30 days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday after a call with President Donald Trump in which Trudeau pledged stronger border measures to stop crossings of migrants and illicit drugs.
“I just had a good call with President Trump,” Trudeau said on X.
“Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together,” he said.
He said Canada would implement a Can$1.3 billion (US$900 million) plan to secure the border.
This will see the number of “frontline personnel” fixed at 10,000. Just last December, Canadian authorities said they had 8,500 deployed.
I just had a good call with President Trump. Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly…
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 3, 2025
The border will be reinforced with new helicopters and other unspecified technology, Trudeau said.
In addition, the prime minister said he “signed a new intelligence directive” to combat organized crime, backed by Can$200 million in new spending, and will launch a joint Canada-US taskforce to stem transnational drug trafficking and money laundering.
He also agreed to Trump’s demand to list drug cartels as terrorists, as well as appoint an official to oversee efforts against the opioid fentanyl.
The announcement comes one day before Trump was to slap 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports, and a 10 percent levy on oil.
Earlier in the day the United states agreed to delay the start of tariffs on Mexican goods after Trump spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
