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OTTAWA — The Trump administration’s point man on trade called Canada a national security threat to the United States in the face of questions over steep tariffs on Canadian steel, and the American president doubled down on the decision in a campaign-style speech.

The White House’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada has triggered tit-for-tat tariffs as pressure builds to complete a renewed North American free trade pact.

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U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer faced pointed questioning from a Senate committee Thursday about the decision, and at one point was asked directly if Canada was a national security threat to the United States.

“In the case of steel, yes,” he said.

Lighthizer couched his remarks by saying no one was declaring war on Canada, and called the country “one of America’s closest friends and trading partners.”

But the decision to impose tariffs was aimed at protecting the American steel industry, he said. If the Americans want to protect their domestic steel and aluminum industry, the administration can’t exempt one country like Canada and allow steel to flow through its borders and into the United States, Lighthizer said.