PRIME Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic LeBlanc, the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, Anita Anand, and Canada’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Kirsten Hillman, and Canada’s premiers in a virtual meeting on Wednesday shared insights from recent conversations with their U.S. counterparts and agreed to continue advocating for Canadian workers and businesses.

Trudeau stressed that a strong, united Team Canada approach is the best way to promote Canadian interests and forge a productive relationship with the incoming administration. First Ministers discussed a wide range of measures that federal, provincial, and territorial governments are prepared to take to respond to the proposed U.S. tariffs and support Canadians, while recognizing that preventing the imposition of tariffs remains Canada’s top priority.

First Ministers discussed the importance of reducing barriers to trade within Canada and agreed that there is more work to be done to facilitate internal trade. The Prime Minister and premiers also agreed that the Committee on Internal Trade should meet as soon as possible to make recommendations to First Ministers on concrete measures to liberalize trade and strengthen Canada’s economy.