We stand strong, says Canada PM Trudeau after counter-tariffs come into effect

Trudeau made the comment while speaking in Leamington, Ontario, on Sunday morning.

Trudeau has been quoted by CTV News as saying, "This is who we are, we're there for each other in times of difficulty, in times of opportunity. We lean on each other and we stand strong and that's what we do from coast to coast to coast."

Countering Trump administration, which imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada recently, Trudeau has imposed tariffs on imported steel, aluminium and other products from the US.

Trump originally imposed tariffs in March and had earlier exempted Canada, Mexico and the EU to buy time for negotiations.

Canada confirmed that $16.6-billion worth of American goods will be hit with retaliatory tariffs on Canada Day.

In the midst of this, Canada pledged up to $2 billion in financial support for the steel and aluminum sectors in Canada.

Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland  was optimistic that Canada’s dollar-for-dollar response would not prompt further tariffs from the U.S.

“Canada’s approach is and will be this: we will not escalate and we will not back down,” Freeland told reporters, and added that the Canadian tariffs were permitted under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

In addition to steel and aluminum products, other items which could be affected included goods such as ketchup, orange juice, playing cards and pens.

(Reporting by Suman Das)