Président: Donald Trump’s new decrees target some Canadian imports while exempting others
The président at the centre of the latest Canada–U.S. trade dispute is Donald Trump, who signed five new decrees that intensify Washington’s response to Canadian counter-tariffs. The measures are reported to include full import bans on some Canadian goods, while removing or excluding other products from U.S. tariffs.
Donald Trump’s new decrees target some Canadian imports while exempting others
The decrees were signed Tuesday after Canada imposed its latest retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. Those Canadian measures cover steel, aluminium, copper and roughly 700 products, according to Le Devoir’s report.
The U.S. response includes a complete ban, later in September, on imports of certain Canadian products. The categories identified in La Presse’s coverage include motorcycles, some dairy products and alcoholic beverages.
Other Canadian goods will instead be removed from the U.S. tariff list. The reports name toilet-paper rolls, road salt and cement among the products exempted from tariffs. Fishing rods, some sugars, lead, Canadian whisky and liqueurs in bottles larger than four litres are also identified as removed from the list in the available reporting.
Some of those exemptions are scheduled to take effect on September 15. The changes were included in a second annex to one of five proclamations published Tuesday, according to Le Devoir.
Why the measures are drawing attention in Canada and the United States
The exemptions matter particularly in border communities that depend on Canadian supplies. Susan Collins, a senator from Maine, said her state buys a large number of essential products from Canada. She cited the potential cost of tariffs on road salt and cement for local operations, as reported by Le Devoir.
The new U.S. measures also add products to a separate list facing 50% tariffs justified under Section 338 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930. Geneviève Dufour, a University of Ottawa professor, said products already facing high tariffs could effectively be blocked even without a formal import prohibition, according to the same report.
The exact economic impact on Canada has not been established in the available reporting. François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s federal minister of finance and national revenue, was not able to provide an estimate while speaking in Edmonton, La Presse reported.
Canada and Washington give different explanations
Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, described the escalation as a consequence of what he called discrimination by Canada against American exports. He said Washington was responding to Canada’s retaliatory measures instead of a nearly completed trade agreement, according to La Presse.
Champagne defended Canada’s response and said the country had not sought an escalation. He said Canada was working to diversify its economy and develop new partnerships, while emphasizing its continued importance as a market for American exporters.
The latest verified position is therefore mixed: Washington has tightened restrictions on selected Canadian goods, but it has also exempted a varied group of products from tariffs. The reports do not establish the final economic effect of the new measures or whether the two governments will reach a broader agreement.