Canada Responds to Trump Trade War with Tariffs on U.S. Steel and Aluminum

Tractor trailers entering Canada from the United States at the Pacific Highway Border Crossing in Blaine, Washington. Photographer: David Ryder/Bloomberg.

Canada announced new 25 percent tariffs on about C$30 billion (US$20.8 billion) of U.S.-made products, including steel and aluminum, after the Trump administration went ahead with global levies on imports of those two materials. The retaliatory measures by Canada will also apply to consumer items such as computers and sporting goods. The new levies match the U.S. tariffs “dollar for dollar” and will take effect at 12:01 a.m. New York time on Thursday, Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc said the government had no choice. “With these most recent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, the U.S. administration is once again inserting disruption and disorder into an incredibly successful trading partnership,” he said.