White House says Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on Canada are coming Saturday [Video]

President Donald Trump will implement 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports on Saturday as promised, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday — while insisting the move won’t trigger a trade war with America’s closest neighbours.

“I was just with the president in the Oval Office and I can confirm that tomorrow, the Feb. 1 deadline that President Trump put into place in a statement several weeks ago continues,” Leavitt said.

Earlier Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is ready to deliver a “purposeful, forceful but reasonable immediate” response to the tariffs. The federal government has said it has multiple options for retaliatory tariffs ready to deploy, depending on what Trump ultimately does.

Leavitt denied Trump’s tariffs would cause a trade war, saying Trump would respond to Trudeau’s comments about Canada’s response “in due time.”

“The president is intent on doing this and I think Justin Trudeau …