Watch Kennedy’s comments here.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) argued that Canada should consider dropping its tariffs against the U.S. to zero if it would like to avoid the reciprocal tariffs that the Trump administration is using to level the playing field for American producers in a speech on the Senate floor.

Key excerpts of the speech are below:

“I want to say this unequivocally: Canada is one of my favorite countries in the world. The American people and the people of Canada are friends, and I would like our economies to be friends—and I mean that. But lately, we have been having a gentle disagreement—some would say not so gentle—in terms of tariffs and trade and our economy.”

. . . 

“When you have got your neighboring country and good friend that is eight times smaller than you are [economically] and, in terms of population, is 10 times smaller than you are, and your neighbor is selling $63 billion more in goods to you than you are selling to them, that seems kind of unfair. And the president, as we all know, has made that point very vociferously.

“In response, the Canadian government, the new Prime Minister [Mark] Carney, he has pretty much bowed up. When Pres. Trump said: ‘Well, the tariffs are uneven, so I am going to raise American tariffs.’ Carney has bowed up and said: ‘Well, Pres. Trump, you don’t believe in free trade. You are not a free trader. If you raise your tariffs, then I am going to raise mine even more.’ And that is how you get into a trade war.” 

. . .

“Let’s avoid a trade war. Let’s let those good Canadian companies compete with good American companies in selling goods into the U.S., and let’s let those good American companies compete with those good Canadian companies in terms of selling goods into Canada, and may the best, cheapest product win.

“That is my respectful challenge to P.M. Carney tonight. If you think Pres. Trump is being unfair and is not a free trader, then reduce your tariffs to zero, and ask Pres. Trump to reduce our tariffs to zero on Canada, and let’s go back to being friends again.”

Background:

• On April 2, 2025, Pres. Trump plans to announce a new round of tariffs on American trade partners. The Trump administration is planning to implement reciprocal tariffs, meaning that the U.S. will levy the same tariff that other nations levy against American products.

• Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent said he is optimistic that the U.S. will not have to implement some of these tariffs because other countries, including Canada, will see the reciprocal nature of the tariffs and negotiate them down.  

Watch Kennedy’s full speech here.