Canada announces retaliatory tariffs against the US | Politics

More than 700 U.S.-made products are on Canada’s tariffs list, hitting everyday purchases such as seafood, cheese, clothing, cosmetics and toilet paper with duties as high as 50%.

The tariffs on American steel, dairy products, appliances, farm equipment, pulp and paper and electronics take effect Sept. 8 at rates of 15%, 25% and 50%, with Canada matching the corresponding U.S. tariff rate on each product.

Canadian officials said at a press conference that the goal is not to raise revenue but to protect Canadian companies and reduce U.S. imports. Goods facing 50% tariffs also include some aluminum products, furniture, clothing and apparel. Appliances, dairy products including cheese, fish and seafood, and certain steel and aluminum derivatives will face 25% tariffs. Existing Canadian countertariffs on U.S. autos will remain in place.

Canadian officials led by François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s minister of national revenue, announced the retaliatory tariffs.

Trump’s tariffs “will have real consequences for Canadian workers, businesses and communities across our nation. Canada must respond, and today we are,” Champagne said.

“We did not choose this conflict, but when our economic integration is used as a weapon rather than the foundation for a win-win partnership, we need to stand up,” Champagne added in French.

Canada will not accept restrictions on its ability to choose its trading partners, he said.

“Maintaining our economic sovereignty is non-negotiable. That’s what we did, and that’s what we’ll do,” Champagne said.

The “unjust tariffs” and “economic warfare” have consequences, said Patty Hajdu, Canadian minister of jobs, noting that the impact of tariffs has been felt before, though not at this level.

The unknowns of what comes next — how big a dent tariffs will make in people’s pocketbooks — causes “worry and anxiety” that makes it challenging to plan for the future, she said.

“It has an effect of sort of freezing people in place: Should I make that investment? Should I buy that new house? Should I take that vacation? Should I add on to my businesses? Should I add a product line?” Hajdu said.

Canada also announced a support package for workers and businesses affected by the dispute worth $7.5 billion in Canadian dollars (US$5.4 billion). They said the counter tariffs will raise costs for some businesses and consumers, but expect the overall economic effects to be moderate.

They said the government has provided more than $30 billion Canadian dollars (US$21.7 billion) in tariff-related support since the beginning of 2025 — far more than it has collected in retaliatory duties — as it tries to cushion the blow.

The two countries have deeply integrated supply chains across autos, energy, agriculture and manufacturing, making a prolonged trade fight potentially costly for businesses and workers on both sides of the border.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly urged Canadians to buy Canadian products as they “launch this movement of resistance to what is happening to us.”

Talking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said she’s proud that Trump is “willing to stand up and make the hard decisions.”

“There’s no doubt that it causes concern amongst our farmers and ranchers,” Rollins said, adding that there are “a lot of unknowns” in the situation.

Rollins spoke shortly after Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of American goods, responding to Trump’s new tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian imports, including dairy products.

“I believe strongly that once they finish this next round of negotiations, whatever you want to call it, that America will certainly be the better for it, and that our farmers and ranchers will benefit the most,” Rollins said.