Pierre Poilievre, Canada’s Conservative Party leader, vowed a forceful response to President Donald Trump’s tariff plans during a rally on Saturday.

Poilievre, 45, is the heir apparent to be prime minister should the Conservatives emerge victorious in the 2025 Canadian elections. Similar to Trump’s “America First” version of political populism, Poilievre has vowed a “Canada First” footing on the international stage and to respond in kind to any U.S. tariffs.

“We must respond with strength, and strength means leverage,” Poilievre said, according to the Hill. “America has leverage, and we have leverage. I will use that leverage.”

Trump recently signed a memorandum proposing the use of reciprocal tariffs on allies and adversaries alike, beginning a review process. Those proposed tariffs would be custom-tailored to each trading partner to combat unfair trade practices, according to the administration.

But the Conservative leader said Saturday that “retaliation is only the beginning,” vowing that if the U.S. hits Canada with generalized tariffs, his government “will respond dollar for dollar.”

“Yes, we will carefully target American goods that we don’t need, can produce ourselves or we can get elsewhere, to maximize the impact on Americans while minimizing the impact on ourselves,” he added.

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In broader terms, Poilievre bashed the idea of ratcheting up a trade war between two allies and neighbors. He warned that such trade policies would hurt both Canadians and Americans alike at a time of already high inflation.

“Option one, you can carry out an unprovoked attack on our economy,” he said. “Your consumers will pay more, and your workers will make less. Gas prices will skyrocket. You will turn a loyal friend into a resentful neighbor, forced to match tariff with tariff and to seek friends everywhere else. Both our economies will weaken, leaving less money for defense and security, and our enemies will grow stronger.”