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.
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The move underscores the Canadian government’s strategy—to strike back immediately every time U.S. President Donald Trump puts new tariffs in place—after a months-long charm offensive in Washington failed to get the White House to exempt Canada from his tariffs. At the same time, Canadian officials say they’re continuing to look for an off-ramp to exit the trade war. LeBlanc is due to meet with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Thursday, and is to be joined by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Canadian Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne.
The goal is to have a “coherent plan” by the April 2 deadline for U.S. reciprocal tariffs, LeBlanc told reporters in Ottawa. “My message to Lutnick will be: Markets speak to you,” added Champagne.
In total, the Canadian retaliation will affect C$12.6 billion of steel products, C$3 billion of aluminum, and C$14.2 billion on other items.
The European Union (EU) also announced retaliation against Trump’s metal tariffs, imposing its own duties on up to €26 billion (US$28.3 billion) worth of American goods. Melanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister, said her nation’s response was coordinated with the EU. She also said that Canada will “want to do more with Europe” on defense.
Joly said she’ll raise the tariff issue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Group of Seven (G-7) foreign ministers meeting, which Canada is hosting for the next three days in a rural region of Quebec. “We need to fight back against this nonsense,” Joly said, adding that the Canadian government also needs “to find off-ramps.” Discussions with Rubio and Lutnick are part of that. “We just need to make sure that we add maximum pressure.”
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government put tariffs in place on C$30 billion of U.S. products—including hundreds of consumer items such as alcoholic drinks, cosmetics, and peanut butter—in response to Trump’s move to place 25 percent tariffs on many Canadian goods.
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