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During the negotiation, Trump also imposed a 25-per-cent tariff on Canadian and Mexican steel and 10-per-cent on aluminum, using a section of U.S. trade law that gives the Oval Office the authority to do so under a national security provision.

Freeland and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have assailed the so-called section 232 tariffs as illegal and insulting given the close military and security relationship between Canada and the U.S.

Freeland said that U.S. businesses are having a hard time swallowing the fact that there is a tariff on a key component of autos — steel and aluminum.

“There is an internal contradiction in having tariffs on Canadian steel even as there is a built-in requirement for North American steel. So I do feel the Canadian case, which has always been very strong, is only getting stronger,” Freeland said.

Canada, the United States and Mexico signed the new agreement on Nov. 30 but it needs to be ratified by each of their legislatures — which could make for a bumpy ride through the U.S. Congress after the Democrats recently won control of the House of Representatives.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada has plenty of support among U.S. lawmakers and business as it continues to press for the removal of the tariffs.

“We have a broad alignment both on the benefits of trade between Canada and the United States, the negative impacts of tariffs that we hear from members of Congress, from business leaders and governors — how much they are very much aligned with us in trying to remove these unfair tariffs on steel and aluminum,” Trudeau said interview last Friday with The Canadian Press.