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OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on a range of U.S. goods from September 8 in response to new 50% tariffs imposed by the United States on Canadian exports.
Carney said Canada would match Washington’s latest tariffs “dollar for dollar” to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families and businesses. The measures will target several U.S. sectors, including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.
The announcement followed the failure of intensive negotiations between Ottawa and Washington to reach a new trade agreement. The United States’ latest tariffs, which took effect at midnight, cover around $20 billion worth of Canadian exports and include products such as wine, furniture, dairy goods, cement, clothing, fishing equipment and hockey equipment.
Carney said Canada could not accept the terms proposed by the U.S. administration, describing several last-minute demands as unfair and economically damaging. He said some of the proposed conditions would have restricted Canada’s ability to negotiate future trade agreements with other countries.
The Canadian government is also expected to announce support measures next week for industries affected by the new U.S. tariffs. Canadian business groups have warned that the escalating trade dispute could result in job losses, business closures and increased economic uncertainty, particularly in vulnerable sectors.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford backed the decision to retaliate, arguing that accepting the proposed agreement would have harmed Ontario’s automotive, steel and manufacturing industries.
Meanwhile, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said no new trade talks with Canada were currently planned and indicated that Washington would respond to Canadian retaliation.
The latest escalation further strains economic relations between the two longstanding allies and creates additional uncertainty for the future of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which governs much of the trade between the three North American countries.
