The prime minister says if the incoming Trump administration moves forward with threatened tariffs, Canada will respond in "measured but robust ways."
Justin Trudeau made the comment during a stop in Windsor following a tour of Anchor Danly, a tool and die manufacturer at 2590 Ouellette Ave.
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports when he takes office on Jan. 20.
Trudeau says the world is in a complicated place right now with massive shifting geopolitics.
"All the more reason for us to pull together as a North America, creating jobs, creating prosperity, and competing successfully with the world. That will continue to be my focus; that is what we're standing up and fighting for as part of Team Canada," he says.
Trudeau says for generations and for decades, Canadians and Americans have been building things together and building communities and prosperity.
"The reality is that the proposed tariffs by the incoming administration will raise costs on American consumers and will put American jobs at risk. That's not something anyone wants because our economies are so intertwined," he says.
Trudeau has formed a new Canada-U.S. relations council to support the federal government as it deals with the incoming Trump administration's vow to impose tariffs.
The 18 members of the council include Steve Verheul, who was Canada's chief trade negotiator during the renegotiation of NAFTA, and former premiers Jean Charest, Rachel Notley, and Stephen McNeil.
Canada's ambassador to the United States, Kirsten Hillman; former ambassador David MacNaughton; and Jody Thomas, the prime minister's former national security adviser, are also joining the council.
The group includes representatives from the automotive industry, the nuclear power sector, agriculture, and the labour movement.