Trump to sign executive order hitting Canada with more tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to sign an order Monday to hammer certain Canadian products with 50 per cent tariffs in 30 days, senior White House officials said.

Speaking to reporters on background on condition they not be named, the officials said the measure is a response to provincial bans on U.S. liquor, Canada’s supply managed dairy system and quotas on certain U.S. vehicles.

The officials said the White House will publish a list of affected imports but these tariffs, unlike many of Trump’s other tariffs, will have no exemptions for goods compliant under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement on trade, better known as CUSMA.

The list covers a wide range of products, from hockey sticks to cement.

The officials said the new tariffs will not apply to energy, potash, fish, critical minerals or other goods already being slammed by Trump’s separate sector-specific tariffs.

The Trump administration is using Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to implement the new duties, even though it has never been used for that purpose.

These tariffs are also not connected to Trump’s recent threat to hit Canada with higher tariffs because of wildfire smoke.

Earlier Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he spoke with Trump about trade on Sunday.

“The president and I had a conversation more broadly strategically about trade and where that’s going,” he said.

Canada imposed wide-ranging retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump’s tariffs last year. It has since rolled back many of those duties in an effort to smooth trade relations.

Separately, several Canadian provincial liquor boards stopped purchasing American alcohol last year in response to Trump’s tariffs and threats of annexation.

While Saskatchewan and Alberta have returned American booze to the shelves, major purchasing provinces like Ontario and Quebec have not resumed stocking U.S. alcohol.

The provincial liquor bans have been a thorn in the side for the Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters in Washington last month he would welcome back American alcohol once CUSMA is renewed.

“I just want to get this deal done,” he said. “I can assure you once that deal’s done, I’m going to be sitting down and bringing all the booze back on shelves in Ontario.”