OTTAWA — Canada’s public safety minister is heading to Washington on Thursday in an effort to convince U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration that the Canada-U.S. border is secure, as the clock ticks down on Trump’s threat of slapping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports.

Since his re-election in November, Trump has repeatedly said he would hit Canada and others with tariffs of up to 25 per cent. On his first day back in the Oval Office, Trump suggested tariffs on Canadian goods could be coming on Saturday.

Canada’s outgoing prime minister and the leader of the country’s oil rich province of Alberta are confident Canada can avoid the 25% tariffs President Donald Trump says he will impose on Canada and Mexico on Feb.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will decide Thursday night whether to include oil in his tariff plan, as he confirmed his intention to impose devastating duties on Canadian imports on Saturday.

Trump said he would likely decide by the end of the day Thursday whether to put a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian oil imports that would take effect on Saturday.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will decide Thursday night if oil will be a target of the hefty tariffs he's threatening to impose on Canadian goods.

The man U.S. President Donald Trump has chosen to oversee his tariff agenda says hitting Canada with 25 per cent across-the-board duties would be an emergency measure to achieve border security — and could be followed by more tariffs in the future.

OTTAWA — Canada’s public safety minister offered an “attaboy” to Ontario’s premier for his recent Canada-U.S. outreach work. Questioned outside of a Friday morning caucus meeting in West Block, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty was asked if Ford’s outreach — which has included numerous comments and interviews on American news channels — was a distraction to federal efforts to push back against President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said Thursday, that he will impose the 25 per cent tariff on both Canada and Mexico "for a "number of reasons."

As U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he intends to move ahead with tariffs, with the possible exception of oil, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called on the Liberals to recall Parliament and work with opposition leaders on a potential support package for workers who could be hit by the impending trade levies.

Howard Lutnick, Trump's pick for U.S. commerce secretary, said tariffs will 'create reciprocity, fairness and respect' for the U.S. and will not be inflationary for Americans.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Thursday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should recall Parliament to pass legislation to protect workers and businesses if U.S. President Donald Trump goes ahead with tariffs on Canadian goods as promised.