The US tariffs on Canadian goods come days after Trump threatened tariffs over wildfires.
The US imposes tariffs on 50 percent on several Canadian products due to “discriminatory treatment” when it comes to trade in American cars, dairy products and alcohol.
This is stated by the White House on its website.
US President Donald Trump has signed three executive orders imposing the tariff, which is referred to as an additional punitive tariff, it said.
– In doing so, President Trump counteracts the burden and disadvantage that Canada’s discriminatory treatment imposes on US trade.
– It ensures a level playing field for crucial American exports – cars, alcohol and dairy products, reads the White House’s website.
The tariffs include “everything from wine to ice hockey sticks and cement”, it says.
However, some products are exempt. This applies to energy, potash, fish and critical minerals.
In contrast, many other goods that were previously protected by a free trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico (USMCA) are affected.
The White House refers on its website to the fact that Canada has a so-called protectionist dairy system and that the country has tariffs and quotas on cars from the United States, but not other countries.
It is also said that most Canadian provinces have stopped the sale of American alcohol. They did so, according to the Reuters news agency, in response to previous US tariffs that took effect last year.
According to the White House, Canadian imports of American motor vehicles have fallen 22 percent over the past few years, while imports of American alcoholic beverages have fallen 81 percent.
The message from the White House comes a few days after US President Donald Trump blamed Canada for smoke from forest fires that spread to the US during the World Cup finals.
Here, Trump threatened to add what he referred to as unmanageable costs of dealing with the pollution on top of the existing tariffs on Canadian goods, writes Reuters.
The tariffs, which were announced on Monday, will take effect on August 19.
The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, has commented on the website of his Prime Minister’s Office after the announcement from the United States.
Here he calls the US tariffs unilateral and “in direct violation of the free trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico (USMCA)”.
– These include tariffs on the Canadian auto sector, which is in violation of the USMCA. Canada has, as is the country’s full right, merely matched these measures.
– Canada stands ready to engage in intensive discussions to resolve the outstanding issues with the United States for the mutual benefit of our citizens, he says.
RITZAU
