Manitobans should be concerned about the brewing trade war between the U.S. and Canada, says Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister.

Last week President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is preparing for the worst case scenario and is brainstorming his own tariff retaliation if Trump continues to act on his threats.

"Manitoba's a trading province, Canada's a trading country, and we create jobs here not by building things in silos; we work together, and Canada and the United States have had the most positive, strongest working relationship, trading partnership arguably in the history of our planet, so yeah, this matters and it matters a lot," Pallister said.

The premier has not explicitly provided his support for Trudeau, but rather believes the two leaders should set aside their differences and concentrate on issues like renegotiating NAFTA.

"Let's keep it focused on the ideas and not make it personal, that will make it counterproductive in the short-term and the long-term as well," Pallister said. "America won't be great again without Canada."