‘We need to respond’; Caputo sets sights on American tariffs with parliament prorogued

KAMLOOPS — While the United States did place 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum earlier this week, Canadians are still enjoying a monthlong reprieve from potential blanket tariffs on goods, expected to be enacted on March 1.

The U.S. government delayed tariffs after Canada outlined a plan from late last year to strengthen border security. While the pause was welcome news, opposition parties still feel the Liberals are putting the country is a precarious position with the House of Commons remaining prorogued.

“I certainly would be open to hearing what other leaders have to say, but again, we can’t do that because we are not in Ottawa,” said Conservative Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP Frank Caputo. “I do believe we need a ‘Canada first’ approach and it’s essentially a no-brainer to me that we need to respond and we need to respond quickly. But we can’t really respond because we aren’t even in parliament. How do we speak with a united voice if we aren’t even in the nation’s capital?”