OTTAWA - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that he would prefer not to apply sanctions against the United States over a meat labeling dispute, but at the same time warned that he would stand up for his country's farmers.
Earlier this week, the World Trade Organization authorized an annual retaliation level of C$1.055 billion ($778 million) for Canada, though that was considerably less than what Canada had sought.
The dispute stems from a 2009 U.S. requirement that retail outlets label food with information about its origin. Canada has argued that country-of-origin labeling, known as COOL, has led to fewer of its cattle and pigs being slaughtered in the United States.
"We would rather not have to engage in retaliatory measures, but we certainly will, to stand up for our farmers, to stand up for Canadians who have been unfairly addressed and affected by this legislation," the recently elected Trudeau told reporters.
"We will continue to make sure that this gets fixed and we're going to work with Americans, or against them, to make sure that it happens."
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Asked what impact retaliation might have on the relationship between the neighboring countries, Trudeau said, "The (U.S.) president understands that the relationship between Canada and the U.S. is far greater than any one issue." ($1 = 1.3566 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
