Article content continued

Happy Canada Day! Wishing you all the best as we celebrate our great country from coast to coast to coast. https://t.co/SZ7FGXQRQ6 pic.twitter.com/DDRy08TVpU — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 1, 2018

Trudeau’s counter-tariffs take effect today — a month after the Trump administration slapped duties on U.S. steel and aluminum imports from Canada and other allies.

Canada’s response includes imposing $16.6 billion worth of tariffs on a long list of consumer products that come from a wide range of sectors — from beer kegs, to ballpoint pens, to ketchup.

On Friday Trudeau spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on the phone, reiterating that Canada has had “no choice” but to take countermeasures against the U.S. tariffs.

It appears Trump, too, is not backing down.

There is so much to be proud of as a country, but the thing we always have to be most proud of is Canadians ourselves

In an interview that aired on Fox News this morning, Trump said he will delay signing a revised version of the North American Free Trade Agreement until after the U.S. midterms in November in hopes of reaching a better deal.

He said he could quickly sign an agreement with Mexico and Canada, “but I’m not happy with it. I want to make it more fair.” also

The U.S. president also, once again, threatened to impose tariffs on imported vehicles, saying, “The cars are the big ones.”

Trudeau, meanwhile, kept his remarks upbeat today as he spoke to a crowd in Leamington, praising Canadians for their supportive attitudes in the face of a trade dispute with its largest trading partner.

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins

“There is so much to be proud of as a country, but the thing we always have to be most proud of is Canadians ourselves – the way we step, the way we lean on each other, the way we’re creative and optimistic about the future, the way we look at challenges as opportunities, to grow, to build, to be there for each other. That’s what the message we’re celebrating on Canada Day.