Canada is adding to the list of U.S. goods that will be subject to Canadian counter-tariffs a day after it took American seafood off the list.
On Tuesday, Canada responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated trade war escalations and 50 per cent tariffs with counter-tariffs on more than 700 American goods amounting to $27.6 billion and rolling out supports for workers affected by the trade war.
“We’ve been working with and listening to stakeholders and provinces all throughout this process. That has informed our response and crucially helped us adjust our support measures to ensure our sectors and workers’ immediate needs and reality are acted on,” a spokesperson for Finance Canada said Friday.
“This decision was made in the interest of strengthening Canada’s sectors and our tariff response — and to better match the American tariffs dollar for dollar, rate for rate,” the statement added.
The Canadian countermeasures will go into effect on Tues. Sept. 8.
On Wednesday, Finance Canada said it was adjusting the list after receiving feedback from Canadian industry stakeholders.
American seafood and fish were removed from the initial tariff list.
Removing tariffs on U.S. seafood products was “in Canada’s best interests,” Finance Minister Francois-Phillippe Champagne told reporters Thursday.
While Canada’s trade negotiators continue to “defend Canadian interests,” Ottawa will continue cooperating with the U.S. on regional security, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said.
“I will continue to work with my counterpart in the United States on bilateral issues as is necessary, whether it’s Arctic security, whether it is regional security in Haiti, whether it is on cyber scam centers,” Anand said Friday.
Canada will continue to “build relationships around the world” in an effort to diversify its trading relationships, she added.
The Canadian counter-tariffs have been set at three different rates — 15 per cent, 25 per cent and 50 per cent — to match Trump’s own tariffs on Canadian goods.
Friday’s new additions will be subject to a 50 per cent Canadian tariff.
Wood charcoal (including shell or nut charcoal) was on the list, along with American copper wire.
Printed material, including printed pictures and photographs, was also included, along with articles of plaster or of compositions based on plaster.
