Trudeau Confident About Canada’s Position Over US Tariff Threat

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven in the White House East Room in Washington, U.S. on March 6, 2018. (Reuters/Leah Millis) / Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada on Feb. 28, 2018. Reuters/Chris Wattie

TORONTO—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday there is a “level of confidence” that the country’s close relationship with the United States will protect it from U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

A White House official said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to offer Canada and Mexico a 30-day exemption from planned tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, which could be extended based on progress in talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.