The Canadian ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman, said she is “hopeful” steep US tariffs on Canadian goods will not be enacted.
“We’re hopeful that they don’t come into effect on Tuesday, and we’re ready to continue to talk to the Trump administration about that, and in particular about all the work that we’re doing with them and on our own with respect to the border and the issues that the president says are at the core of this move,” Hillman told ABC News on Sunday.
The Canadian ambassador told ABC the administration has been meeting “nonstop” with US President Donald Trump’s border officials, but she acknowledged the decision lies in Trump’s hands.
Canada’s efforts to bolster border controls include investing a billion dollars in border equipment, ensuring boots on the ground, and joint training exercises with US authorities, the ambassador said.
Hillman said Canada has made “incredible progress” on stemming illegal immigration into the US. “Illegal crossings between Canada and the United States … are less than 1% of the crossings into the United States, but even at that, they’re down 89% in recent months,” she said.
Some background: Trump administration officials said Saturday the tariffs were designed to stop the flow of fentanyl and undocumented immigrants coming into the US.
To put the tariffs in place, Trump in his executive action declared a national economic emergency, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, known as “IEEPA,” which authorizes a president to unilaterally manage imports during a national emergency. The tariffs are set to go into effect Tuesday at 12:01 am ET.