Canada hits U.S. with tariffs on $29.8B price of products after Trump slaps levy on metals

The federal authorities introduced a plan on Wednesday to slap tariffs on $29.8 billion price of American items to hit again towards U.S. President Donald Trump after he imposed punishing tariffs on Canadian metal and aluminum early this morning.

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, the federal government’s level particular person on Canada-U.S. relations, stated Trump’s assault on Canadian business is “unjustified and unjustifiable” and the federal government should retaliate because the U.S. inserts “disruption and dysfunction” into what was as soon as one of the crucial profitable buying and selling relationships on this planet.

“We won’t stand idly by whereas our iconic metal and aluminum industries are being unfairly focused,” he stated. 

LeBlanc stated the American merchandise being hit with these tariffs embrace U.S.-made metal and aluminum, computer systems, sports activities tools and sure forged iron merchandise, amongst others.

WATCH | Canada pronounces $29.8 billion in retaliatory tariffs: 

Canada pronounces $29.8 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. items

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc outlines the federal authorities’s plan to slap tariffs on $29.8 billion price of American items to hit again towards U.S. President Donald Trump after he imposed tariffs on Canadian metal and aluminum.

Trump’s tariffs on all metal and aluminum imports, which took impact simply after midnight, are separate from the opposite tariffs Trump levied on Canada final week — and later partially dialled again — to supposedly stress the nation to do extra on the border on medicine and migrants.

Canada instantly levied tariffs on $30 billion price of American items in response to these preliminary tariffs — and did not take them off even after Trump rejigged his tariff regime.

All instructed, Canada is making use of a 25 per cent tariff to some $60 billion price of American items as payback for each Trump’s border- and metals-related tariffs.

The federal government can also be holding again tariffs on one other roughly $100 billion price of American items that shall be imposed if Trump goes forward with a 3rd spherical of what he is calling “reciprocal” tariffs on items from around the globe on April 2.

International Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly stated Trump has claimed he must impose tariffs now as a result of Canadian metal and aluminum imports pose a “nationwide safety menace” — one thing she referred to as a bogus and insulting justification.

“The excuse for these tariffs shift daily. The one fixed appears to be President Trump’s talks of annexing our nation by way of financial coercion. We won’t again down and we won’t give in to this coercion,” she stated. “We have to battle again towards this nonsense.”

WATCH | Joly urges People to ‘ship a message’ to White Home to finish tariffs: 

Joly urges People to ‘ship a message’ to White Home to finish tariffs

Canada’s International Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly appealed on to People, urging them to talk with their elected officers in any respect ranges and ask them to ship a message to the White Home to finish the commerce struggle.

Trump deployed harsh rhetoric towards Canada on Tuesday, threatening to break the nation economically and reiterating his need to see the nation develop into the 51st state.

The U.S. president upped the ante on his annexation taunts, saying the one means for Canada to keep away from his makes an attempt to torpedo the financial system is for the nation to “develop into our cherished Fifty-First State.”

Trump stated the border between Canada and the U.S., which was first set centuries in the past after the American Revolutionary Struggle and reaffirmed by a collection of treaties in the years to observe, is “a synthetic line of separation” that he needs to see disappear.

Joly stated Canada isn’t just in a battle to get Trump to again off tariffs but in addition to avoid wasting the nation from a potential takeover.

“It is not only a menace to Canadian jobs, Canadian households. It’s an existential menace to our nation,” she stated. “This isn’t solely a battle concerning the financial system, it’s about the way forward for our nation.”

Canada main provider of metal, aluminum

Business Minister François-Philippe Champagne stated Trump’s tariffs will push up the worth of nearly every part U.S. factories produce, given simply how dependent they’re on Canadian metals. The U.S., for instance, produces solely 16 per cent of the aluminum it wants, whereas 60 per cent of its provide comes from Quebec alone.

However these tariffs additionally pose a significant concern for Canada, given the final time Trump imposed comparable tariffs on these metals there was an enormous drop in Canadian exports, threatening jobs and companies.

Based on Statistics Canada information, aluminum exports dropped by roughly half in 2019 on account of Trump’s commerce motion in his first time period.

Matt Walker, the president of the Canada Metallic Processing Group, which produce metal merchandise, stated his firm has needed to lay off employees in Ontario and Quebec “as a result of fixed menace of United States tariffs.”

“This tariff won’t solely hurt Canadian companies and employees however will harm the numerous American companies, employees and customers that depend on high-quality Canadian metal, which the U.S. doesn’t provide or produce sufficiently itself,” Walker stated.

Andrew DiCapua, principal economist on the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, stated the metals tariffs are dealing the Canadian financial system “one other giant hit.”

A spokesperson for the American Automotive Coverage Council, which represents Ford, Normal Motors and Stellantis, stated Trump’s tariffs on Canada “will add important prices for automakers, suppliers and customers.”

Champagne stated Trump’s relentless commerce assaults probably aren’t going away anytime quickly and Canada wants an angle shift to develop into extra impartial and resilient.

WATCH | Champagne says Trump’s tariffs are weakening North America: 

Champagne says Trump’s tariffs weakening North American financial system, nationwide safety

Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne says ‘we can not let uncertainty develop into the brand new certainty,’ including U.S President Donald Trump’s commerce struggle goes to weaken North America.

Canadian officers, together with LeBlanc and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, will meet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Trump’s tariff czar, and U.S. Commerce Consultant Jamieson Greer in Washington on Thursday.

LeBlanc stated these talks shall be about making an attempt to get the People to drop all their present tariffs and persuade the administration to spare Canada when it pushes forward with extra tariffs on April 2.

“We are going to proceed to take care of our countermeasures and enhance them on April 2 if we won’t get to a place the place their preliminary measures are all lifted from Canadian companies,” LeBlanc stated.

Thursday’s assembly can also be a probability to “decrease the temperature” given the heated rhetoric coming from Trump in latest days, LeBlanc stated.

• CBC Radio’s Simply Asking needs to know: Which claims concerning the commerce struggle would you like fact-checked? Fill out the small print on this way and ship us your questions forward of our present this Saturday, March 15, 2025.

LeBlanc stated Trump has made some “outrageous feedback” about Canadian sovereignty they usually must be addressed along with his officers face-to-face.

Joly added Canada will proceed to exert “most stress” on the People by way of countermeasures whereas additionally being open to providing “off-ramps” to Trump to carry this commerce struggle to a satisfying shut for each side.

Joly stated she will even be holding talks concerning the tariffs with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio when she hosts a G7 overseas ministers’ assembly at Charlevoix, Que., on Thursday and Friday upfront of a leaders’ summit in Alberta in June.

Chatting with reporters forward of his journey to Quebec, Rubio stated that is “not a gathering about how we will take over Canada.”

Pressed to say if he agrees with Trump’s assertion that the U.S. ought to develop into the 51st state, Rubio demurred. “That is not what we will be discussing in our journey right here,” he stated.

As for what Canadian officers will say if the 51st state taunts are raised, Joly stated that discuss is offensive and shall be dismissed outright.

“In terms of Canadian sovereignty, it is quite simple: it isn’t even on the desk,” she stated.

Prime minister-designate Mark Carney, who is anticipated to take the reins of energy after being sworn in someday later this week, stated he is prepared to take a seat down with Trump quickly to debate a decision.However he stated these talks can solely occur “beneath a place the place there’s respect for Canadian sovereignty.”

“We’re all going to be higher off when the best financial and safety partnership on this planet is renewed and is relaunched,” Carney stated