Canada not helping itself by hitting US with tariffs: White House

"Escalating tariffs against the United States does nothing to help Canada. It only hurts American workers," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a media briefing when asked about Canada's action.

Canadian officials said the measures were designed in part to pressure Trump by focusing on goods from states where his political allies hold sway. (Reuters photo)

The White House said on Monday that Canada’s decision to enact tariffs on C$16.6 billion ($12.63 billion) worth of American goods in retaliation for US tariffs on imports of Canadian steel and aluminium would not help its economy.

“Escalating tariffs against the United States does nothing to help Canada. It only hurts American workers,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a media briefing when asked about Canada’s action.

Ties between the two neighbours and long-time allies have been strained by US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on US imports of steel and aluminium on national security grounds.

The retaliatory tariffs unveiled by Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland on Friday mostly target US steel and aluminium products, but also hit consumer food products, such as coffee, ketchup and whiskey.

Canadian officials said the measures were designed in part to pressure Trump by focusing on goods from states where his political allies hold sway.

“We’ve been very nice to Canada for many years, and they’ve taken advantage of that – particularly advantage of our farmers,” Sanders said. “The president is working to fix the broken system, and he’s going to continue pushing for that.”

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