U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed an additional 50 per cent tariff on Canadian imports, citing Canada’s alleged discriminatory trade practices against American exports and industries.
The measure, announced under Section 338 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930, is intended to counter what the Trump administration described as retaliatory actions by Canada and to push for more reciprocal trade relations between the two countries.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, said President Trump exercised his authority under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose the additional 50 per cent tariffs in response to what the administration described as Canada’s discriminatory treatment of U.S. exports.
Greer said that while the administration had continued to negotiate fair and reciprocal trade agreements with its global trading partners, Canada had remained an exception by retaliating against U.S. efforts to rebalance bilateral trade and protect industries considered critical to national security.
According to him, Canada removed U.S. alcoholic beverages from retail shelves, granted more favourable market access to dairy products from the European Union than those from the United States, and imposed limits on vehicle exports to Canada by companies that had relocated manufacturing operations back to the U.S.
He said the latest tariff action was intended to hold Canada accountable for what Washington views as unfair and discriminatory trade practices, adding that it reflects President Trump’s commitment to correcting trade imbalances and safeguarding the interests of American workers, farmers and businesses.