Canada challenges US tariffs at WTO as Trudeau calls Trump's tariff hikes 'dumb thing'

Flags wave in the wind near the Ambassador Bridge which connects Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and Detroit, Michigan. (Image: Reuters)

As the tariff war rages on, Canada has requested consultations with the United States on "unjustified tariffs" at the World Trade Organization (WTO), Canada's ambassador to the WTO in Geneva said on Wednesday.

"The U.S. decision leaves us with no choice but to respond to protect Canadian interests," Ambassador Nadia Theodore said in a statement posted on LinkedIn.

"Everyone plays their position. I played mine today and on behalf of the Government of Canada, requested WTO consultations with the Government of the United States in regard to its unjustified tariffs on Canada," Theodore said.

Also Read: ‘Now it is our turn’: Trump announces reciprocal tariffs from April 2, calls out India, China for 'unfair systems'

A WTO spokesperson confirmed the receipt of Canada's request for consultations, according to Reuters.

“Canada has launched dispute proceedings against the US over the additional tariffs. The move followed a similar complaint by China over new US levies on its exports, ” AFP quoted a WTO official as saying.

Also Read: China's sharp retort on Trump's tariff hikes: 'If war is what US wants, ready to fight till end'

US President Donald Trump's new 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico took effect on Tuesday, along with fresh duties on Chinese goods.

The move came after Trump declared that the top three US trading partners - Canada, Mexico and China - had failed to do enough to stem the flow of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into the United States.

With the tariffs on Canadian goods in effect, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau strongly criticised Washington’s trade moves, calling them “dumb”.

Trudeau said on Tuesday that Trump's tariffs on Canadian imports were "a very dumb thing to do" and said Ottawa was striking back immediately. He announced immediate 25 percent tariffs on C$30 billion worth of US imports. If need be, Canada will target another C$125 billion worth in 21 days' time, he said, Reuters reported.

(With inputs from Reuters)