Donald Trump imposes new 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian products citing unfair discrimination

US President Donald Trump has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on most Canadian goods, declaring that Canada has unfairly discriminated against American autos, alcohol and dairy products.

The move could unleash a new wave of economic chaos, with risks of higher inflation and further fraying of relations between two nations that had been closely woven together before Trump’s return to the White House.

The administration official previewing the action said Canada was one of the only nations other than China that retaliated against Trump’s previous tariffs and must be held accountable.

The official insisted on anonymity on a call with reporters to preview the president’s actions and said Trump signed three proclamations to launch the tariffs under Section 338 of the 1930 Trade Act.

The 50 per cent tariffs would exclude energy products, potash, fish and critical minerals, but they would include goods that had previously been protected from import taxes by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. That 2020 trade pact was not renewed by the US, triggering a new set of negotiations that could run until 2036.

The White House said in a fact sheet the tariffs would come into effect in 30 days and cover “products ranging from wine to hockey sticks to cement.”

The official said Trump had also requested that his aides look into additional tariffs on Canada because its wildfires hurt air quality in the US.

At the World Cup final, Trump watched the match with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has openly challenged the US president and has sought to expand Canada’s trade relations with other nations.

Trump claims in the proclamations that Canada discriminates against American autos, alcohol and cheese relative to other nations, but his argument rests in large part on retaliatory actions taken by Canada after the US president imposed tariffs on Canada under the pretext that it should do more to stop fentanyl smuggling.

Trump noted in his autos proclamation that Canada maintained, starting in April 2025, a 25 per cent tariff on the imports of US motor vehicles that did not qualify for preferential treatment under the USMCA.

The White House said regarding alcohol that all but two Canadian provinces and territories halted the purchase and retailing of American alcoholic beverages beginning last year, which was also a response to Trump’s tariffs and taunts of making Canada the 51st state.

But Trump has long objected to Canada’s treatment of US cheese, saying in his proclamation that Canada discriminates against the US compared to Europe on dairy products.

Trump and Carney have had a frosty relationship, with Carney, a former central banker, winning government last year by promising to stand up for Canada.

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January, Carney called out Trump - without naming him - by saying that the “most powerful” countries are using the economy to coerce less powerful nations.

Trump responded at the time by saying: “Canada lives because of the United States.”

- with AP