Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne defended Ottawa's response to US tariffs on Wednesday, urging national unity amid a push for an Alberta independence referendum.
Addressing criticism about who triggered the trade dispute with Washington, Champagne said at an event in Edmonton, Alberta, that Canada was not the instigator.
"We didn't start that. We respond," he said. "We don't want to escalate, but we know how to respond, and we know how to protect."
He said Ottawa would "allow no one to infringe on" Canada's "economic sovereignty," describing the countermeasures as deliberate.
"We went dollar for dollar, tariff for tariff," he said, noting Canada targeted "goods that you could find a substitute in" domestically to ease pressure on Canadians.
Champagne said Canada would continue trading with the US, given their shared border and more than a century of economic ties, but argued that Ottawa should also look toward Asian energy markets, calling the moment "the golden age" for Canada to position itself amid global energy security concerns.
After trade talks between Canada and the US collapsed last month, the US moved to impose 50% tariffs on key Canadian goods.
In response, Canada's retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion worth of US goods took effect Tuesday, escalating a trade war between the neighbors.
Canada clarified that the counter-tariffs only apply to goods originating from the US and will not affect shipments already in transit on the day of implementation.
The dispute has intensified dramatically under the Trump administration, with successive rounds of import taxes and retaliatory measures.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the Canada-US trade gap, pointing to it as a core reason for imposing tariffs and regularly alleging that Ottawa is "ripping off" America.
On Alberta's separation debate, Champagne rejected calls for more uncertainty. "You don't need more uncertainty. " What you need is more unity," he said. "This is a time to build. This is a time to unite. This is a time to support each other."
"The world is not waiting for us" to seize emerging opportunities, he said.
