Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai said the territorial Economic Development department is making sure it is "ready to engage" first with people involved in exporting from the territory to fully understand what the potential impacts will be, if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on his tariff threats.
Trump has threatened to impose 25-per-cent tariffs on products going from Canada to the United States.
During an unrelated press conference about a program to address downtown crime, on Jan. 30, Pillai indicated there could be movement on the tariff front on Saturday, Feb. 1. Pillai told press conference attendees that the Yukon government is currently building its 2025-26 budget, to be released this spring, and is “making sure that we have tools readily available as we get ready.”
Pillai reflected on meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau around tariffs on Jan. 29.
“In my intervention yesterday (Jan. 29) with the prime minister, my request was to make sure that the programs that are going to be rolled out are ready and for Yukon businesses, and to ensure that they're congruent with what we can build here, and that there's no overlap,” Pillai said.
Pillai's office previously indicated it wouldn't rule out retaliatory measures against the U.S.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com