Canada to Hit Back With Dollar-for-Dollar Tariffs on US Goods From September 8

Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on a wide range of American imports starting September 8, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Saturday. The move comes in direct response to new 50% US tariffs on Canadian goods that took effect at midnight, escalating a trade dispute between the long-time allies.

Speaking from the Parliament building in Ottawa, Carney said Canada would match Washington's duties "dollar for dollar" to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses. The retaliatory measures will target sectors including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.

The announcement follows the collapse of intense negotiations late Friday, with the two countries failing to reach a trade deal. The new US tariffs, which cover approximately $20 billion in Canadian exports, apply to products such as wine, furniture, dairy, cement, clothing, fishing rods, and hockey equipment.

Notably, these duties do not exempt Canadian products under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which had shielded most Canadian exports to the US over the past 18 months. Carney's retaliatory tariffs will also include products currently subject to what he called unjustified Section 232 and 338 tariffs.

"We cannot accept what they have offered, and we will not give what they have asked," Carney said, signaling a firm stance in the escalating trade conflict that threatens the future of the continental free trade pact.