Boats are spared from new Canadian retaliatory tariffs

Published On: August 18, 2020Categories: Industry News, News

As reported in The Washington Post and other news sources, following the Trump administration’s decision to reimpose tariffs on aluminum imports from Canada, the Canadian government announced that it will impose dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products. Canada says it intends to impose retaliatory levies valued at roughly $2.7 billion on a “broad and extensive” list of U.S. aluminum products. Unlike the previous aluminum and steel tariff dispute between the two countries, U.S. boats were not included on the initial list of products that will be subject to the countermeasure,

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who labeled the Trump administration as “the most protectionist” in U.S. history, told reporters that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will spend the next 30 days consulting with leaders of industry and business and other Canadians on potential targets.

“Canada will respond swiftly and strongly in defense of our workers,” Freeland said. “We will impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures in a balanced and perfectly reciprocal retaliation. We will not escalate, and we will not back down.”

The move comes after Trump announced that he was using a national security provision to impose tariffs of 10 percent on some Canadian aluminum products and accused Canada of “taking advantage of us, as usual,” reigniting a trade dispute between long-standing allies just weeks after a new North American trade pact went into effect.

The U.S. tariffs took effect Aug. 16. Canada’s countermeasures will be implemented by Sept. 16 and remain in place until the United States removes its tariffs, according to the country’s finance department. Canada’s list of potential targets includes refrigerators, washing machines, bicycles and golf clubs.