U.S. President Donald Trump is set to lay out the details of his reciprocal-tariff regime later today, prompting Prime Minister Mark Carney to put his election campaign on pause to meet with his Canada-U.S. Relations Council and cabinet to craft Canada’s response. Specifics of that response may not be unveiled until Thursday, according to a source in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The commander-in-chief has repeatedly referred to the April 2 as “Liberation Day” for the American trade system, what he sees as a reset to the trade imbalance with much of the globe, and a plan to drive manufacturers back to America.

Trump is expected to address the issue at 4 p.m. EDT today in the White House Rose Garden.

The reciprocal tariffs will be stacked on a series of other Trump-imposed levies, including 25 per cent on foreign-made automobiles, which will come into effect this week once the U.S. administration “establish(es) a process” to tax exclusively the non-American vehicle components of Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)-compliant products.

Levies on steel and aluminum — which took effect on March 12 — are also in place.

A second month-long reprieve on 25 per cent levies on all Canadian imports — which are related to border security — is also set to expire Wednesday.

So far, Canada had responded to Trump’s tariffs by imposing a 25 per cent tariff on $30 billion worth of U.S. goods, including items such as orange juice, wine and spirits. The federal government has said those retaliatory measures will remain in place until the U.S. lifts all of its tariffs on Canadian products.

Canada has also pushed back on Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs with similar duties on an additional $30 billion worth of American steel and aluminum products, along with additional imported goods.

Carney said Canada will be “very deliberate” with its countermeasures.

“We, of course, will be looking with interest what is announced tomorrow, as I also mentioned to the president, and was very clear, we will respond to additional measures,” he said, following a factory tour in Winnipeg on Tuesday. “So we will put in place retaliatory measures if there are additional measures put against Canada tomorrow.”

Ahead of Trump’s address, Carney will convene a virtual meeting of business and union leaders who are part of the Canada-U.S. Relations Council. A meeting of Carney’s cabinet is then set to follow the president’s announcement.

Carney is likely to also convene a meeting of Canada’s premiers, either later Wednesday or early Thursday.

According to a source inside the PMO, the government does not expect to get advanced warning of which sectors or products Trump will target.

Behind the scenes, several federal and provincial officials said they were caught off guard last week, as earlier talks with the White House had left them with the impression that Canada would receive some form of tariff exemption on automobile manufacturing.

The PMO source, who is not authorized to speak publicly, said Carney may not come out with an immediate response to Trump’s new round of tariffs.

“The Prime Minister may wait a day before he responds,” the source said, so the government can assess how best to target its trade actions to “hit the U.S. with maximum impact while limiting pain on Canadians.”

A group of U.S. senators, meanwhile, led by former Hillary Clinton running mate Sen. Tim Kaine, are set to vote on a resolution on Wednesday evening to undo Trump’s tariffs.

Poilievre, Singh weigh in from campaign trails

Both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh weighed in on Trump’s tariffs from their respective campaign trails on Wednesday.

Singh, calling the president “a storm” and “an arsonist,” said an NDP government would prioritize support for workers impacted by the tariffs, including a pledge to boost employment insurance, and to give all money collected from counter-tariffs to workers and communities hit the hardest.

Poilievre reiterated on Wednesday that Canada will “obviously never be the 51st state,” amid ongoing threats from Trump to annex the country.

Poilievre also said Canada needs a “strong and effective” plan, which he broke down into three parts: an immediate response, to end the dispute “after the election,” and “a long-term plan to build our economic fortress in Canada.”

“We should set a firm date to finalize a new deal, and I will propose that both countries pause tariffs while we hammer out that deal,” Poilievre said. “Keeping destructive tariffs in place kills jobs on both sides of the border, and so it serves no purpose at all.”

Late last month, Carney announced his government will roll out a $2-billion strategic response fund to help the auto sector, if the Liberals win the election.

With files from CTV News’ Stephanie Ha

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on trading partners are set to take effect today, a day he has proclaimed as “Liberation Day” for American trade. CTV News has extensive coverage across all platforms:

• CTVNews.ca has in-depth coverage, real-time updates, and expert analysis on what the tariffs will mean for Canadians.
• CP24.com has developments out of Queen’s Park and what the tariffs mean for the people of the GTHA.
• BNNBloomberg.ca has what this means for the business community, investors, and the market.