Trump tariff threat piles pressure on Canada to expand trade with Asia

Open this photo in gallery: Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Ottawa was working ‘with alacrity’ to finalize a free trade deal with ASEAN it has been negotiating since 2021.Hasnoor Hussain/Reuters If Foreign Minister Anita Anand wasn't clear about the importance of her trip to Asia this week, U.S. President Donald Trump underlined it for her late Thursday. In announcing new tariffs on Canadian goods and throwing yet another wrench into the country's most important economic relationship, Mr. Trump exemplified why Ottawa has been scrambling to find new trading partners in order to reduce Canada's reliance on its neighbour to…