Canada will reportedly file a complaint with the World Trade Organization(WTO) to challenge U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs after China made a similar decision.
A senior Canadian official revealed the plan Sunday, saying the Canadian government will also seek redress under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement(USMCA), a regional trade deal among the three nations.
According to AFP, the Canadian official said the Canadian government considers these tariffs to be a violation of prior trade commitments, adding that Canada will pursue legal recourse through the agreements it shares with the U.S., citing the WTO and USMCA.
Trump signed an executive order on Saturday imposing long-threatened duties of ten percent on all imports from China and 25 percent on imports from Mexico and Canada, sparking swift responses from all three countries.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that his country plans to initially retaliate on Tuesday with 25 percent tariffs on some 20 billion dollars’ worth of U.S. goods.
China’s commerce ministry denounced the tariffs as a serious violation of WTO rules, vowing to challenge the tariffs at the WTO and take countermeasures.