Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance, hosted a virtual meeting with provincial and territorial Finance ministers to discuss the unwarranted and unreasonable tariffs imposed by the United States. The Minister highlighted the Canadian countermeasures announced yesterday by the Prime Minister in response to the most recent U.S. tariffs on automobiles.
Minister Champagne welcomed the continued and active contributions of the provincial and territorial governments in supporting Canada's measured and appropriate response to the U.S. tariffs. He emphasized that these are challenging times, and that Canada is committed to supporting workers and businesses across all jurisdictions and sectors. He highlighted the government's previously announced supports, including temporarily waiving the one-week employment insurance waiting period, deferring corporate income tax payments and GST/HST remittances, and providing additional support to businesses through financial Crown corporations and regional development agencies.
Minister Champagne also provided an update on his recent discussions with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and his calls with G7 Finance Ministers. Canada's Finance Ministers agreed to remain in close contact through the coming days and weeks.
