By Steve Lambert -CP-Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Wednesday he still hopes Canada can avoid United States tariffs, but the country will have to respond strongly if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on a threat to slap a 25 per cent charge on Canadian goods. “If tariffs get applied, Canada’s response has to be noticed. We can’t be a punching bag,” Kinew told reporters. “And we have to get our elbows up and let other folks know that we’re in the ring there too.” Kinew stressed his preference for diplomacy, and said while many U.S. politicians don’t like tariffs, convincing Trump is a work in progress that might be achieved through recent upgrades to border security. Kinew has so far kept details of Manitoba’s potential response to tariffs secret….