Resources minister says many Republicans don't know Trump's plans for tariffs

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson arrives for a Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday, Jan.8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

WASHINGTON — After several days of meetings with U.S. legislators in Washington, D.C., Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson still isn’t sure whether most Republicans know what president-elect Donald Trump will do when he returns to the White House.

Trump has said he will sign an executive order Monday to hit Canada with 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on all exports to the United States.

Wilkinson says a very small group of officials is crafting Trump’s plans for executive orders — and even Republican legislators who are close to the incoming administration don’t have a good read on what the tariffs might look like.

The minister says he’s heard of three options being considered: 25 per cent tariffs, 10 per cent tariffs and a lower duty that ratchets up over time.

There’s been much debate across Canada on how the country should respond, but Wilkinson says the federal government will need to wait and see what actually happens.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly also travelled to Washington this week — the latest minister to make the rounds since Trump made the tariff threat in November.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 16, 2025.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press