U.S. President Donald Trump will delay tariffs against Canada and Mexico until March — sources say.
Trump and his staff previously indicated a 25% tariff on Canadian goods would hit on February 1. As part of the delay, there will be a process for Canada to negotiate exemptions for particular imports, reported Reuters.
But White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt denied the Reuters report and said the tariffs will be launched on Saturday.
Trump was due to sign numerous executive orders in the Oval Office at 1 p.m. (MST). If there are tariffs to be announced it will likely be then.
Reuter's sources, who asked for anonymity, said they don't have details on the final tariff rate, but noted Trump has consistently said that he plans to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian imports.
"While the announcement of tariffs may roil financial markets and strain the U.S. relationship with its top two trading partners, offering a 28-day window before implementation and a process for exemptions would suggest a more careful approach by the Trump administration," wrote Reuters.
"It also would buy time for negotiations over actions by Canada and Mexico to meet Trump’s stated goals for the duties, to pressure the two U.S. neighbours to halt the flow of illegal immigrants and deadly fentanyl across the U.S. border."
Trump has voiced several grievances with Canada as justification for significant tariffs. He wants Canada to improve border security to reduce the flow of drugs and migrants into the U.S.
Canada responded — announcing hundreds of millions in new border security spending over the next six years. RCMP Black Hawk helicopters now patrol parts of the Canada-U.S. border.
In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith took unprecedented action and deployed an Alberta Sheriff force to patrol the southern border with Montana — one of the Black Hawks is in Alberta.
On Thursday, she brought a Fox News crew to the Coutts Alberta border crossing to demonstrate security improvements to the Trump administration.
In recent weeks, Smith advocated for Alberta and Canada in Washington D.C. — she was called a traitor by some for charting her own course in the absence of a functioning federal government.
Trump criticizes Canada for contributing to the U.S. trade deficit, suggesting the U.S. does not need Canadian products like cars, lumber, or energy, which he claims are abundant in the U.S.
"We're going to be demanding respect from other nations," said Trump recently.
"Canada, we have a tremendous (trade) deficit with Canada. We're not gonna have that anymore. As you probably know, I say you can always become a state. If you're a state, we won't have a deficit, we won't have to tariff you."
In 2023, Alberta exported approximately 1.4 billion barrels of oil to the United States — roughly 4.3 million barrels per day. In 2024, around 1.23 billion barrels were exported.
Smith said Alberta energy products will not be used as bargaining chips if a trade war with the U.S. breaks out.