Canadian authorities welcome the decision of a US federal court to block the implementation of US President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on imports, including from Canada.
“The Canadian government welcomes yesterday's decision by the US Court of International Trade, which is consistent with Canada's long-standing position that Trump's tariffs on Canadian imports are illegal and unreasonable“, said the country's Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking in the national parliament.
At the same time, Carney stressed that trade relations between the two countries “remain under serious threat“, as Trump's tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and the auto sector remain in effect. The prime minister added that Ottawa continues to hope for normal trade relations with Washington.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission blocked Trump's decision to impose import tariffs, arguing that he abused his presidential powers. The court's ruling blocked not only the retaliatory tariffs on products from 185 countries and regions that Trump announced on April 2, but also previously imposed tariffs on imports from Canada, China and Mexico over the alleged failure of those governments to do enough to combat the smuggling of fentanyl into the United States.
In turn, the television company CNN explained that the court's decision did not apply to the tariffs on the supply of cars and spare parts for them, steel and aluminum. They were introduced under the Trade Expansion Act. The court ruled that Trump exceeded his authority under another law. This means that the regulation will affect the 30% tariff on supplies from China, the 25% tariff on imports of certain goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as universal tariffs of 10%. The Trump administration has already indicated that it will appeal the verdict.
At the end of April, 12 US states filed a lawsuit in the US Federal Court of International Trade, requesting the cancellation of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. In addition to causing harm to the US economy, the head of state was accused of unfoundedly declaring a state of emergency to bypass Congress and change the country's tariff policy. The Oregon Attorney General initiated the appeal to the court. It was supported by the states of Arizona, Vermont, Delaware, Illinois, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Maine, Nevada, New York and New Mexico.