GettyCanada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has told the BBC she believes Canada can win the trade war which was sparked by a series of tariffs ordered by US President Donald Trump.
“We are the biggest customer of the US,” Joly told the BBC’s World Service Weekend programme. “We buy more from the Americans than China, Japan, the UK and France combined.”
Joly said tariffs and increased prices are a priority for Canadians as voters prepare to head to the polls to elect a new prime minister later this year.
The US president has imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada. Trump has also vowed to impose a sweeping range of “reciprocal” tariffs on 2 April.
Joly said that because the US and Canadian economies are so intertwined, “we have the most leverage in the world when it comes to the US”.
She noted it is not just Canadians feeling the pain from tariffs, but “hardworking Americans” too.
But Joly said it could be Americans who are the most successful in urging an end to the trade war.
“We think that ultimately the only ones that will be able to help us win this war… are the Americans themselves because they’re the ones that can send a message to their lawmakers,” she told the BBC.
“We can win the hearts and minds of Americans, because ultimately they’re the ones paying for this” she added, noting that both American and Canadian jobs are at risk because of the tariffs.
Trump has vowed to impose further tariffs Canada, and other countries around the world, on 2 April – calling these tariffs “the big one”.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to impose reciprocal tariffs if Trump’s tariff threats come to fruition.
It will bring to head a weeks-long back and forth between the North American countries.
The frustration over trade war has led some Canadians to start protesting.
In Toronto on Saturday, Canadians are holding an “elbows up” protest against the tariffs.
The phrase, used in hockey to describe defending oneself or fighting back, has been repurposed as a slogan in Canada’s fight against US tariffs, and Trump’s stated desire of making Canada the 51st state of the US.
In the BBC World Service Weekend interview, Joly was also asked about the upcoming federal election. Reports suggest Prime Minister Carney could call for a snap election soon.
She said the Liberal party is “very keen” to make sure Canadians give the party “a clear mandate” to deal with Trump and the threat of tariffs.
Joly said Canadians are “preoccupied” by what is happening in the White House and they are looking for a prime minister who has “strong values”.
The race will likely come down to a choice between Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Why is Trump using tariffs?
Tariffs are a central part of Trump’s overall economic vision.
He says tariffs will boost US manufacturing and protect jobs, raising tax revenue and growing the domestic economy.
He also wants to restore America’s trade balance with its foreign partners – reducing the gap that exists between how much the US imports from and exports to individual countries.
But he has refused to rule out the prospect of a recession as a result of his trade policies, which sent US stocks sharply down in the days before the metal tariffs took effect.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick later said the tariffs were “worth it” even if they did lead to an economic downturn.
Trump’s tariffs initially targeted goods from China, Mexico and Canada.
These accounted for more than 40% of imports into the US in 2024.
But Trump has accused the three countries of not doing enough to end the flow of migrants and illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the US.
All three countries have rejected the accusations.