President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will impose 50 percent tariffs on most Canadian goods effective in 30 days unless Canada drops what the administration called “discriminatory” trade barriers against U.S. products.
The move comes one day after Trump again threatened to impose tariffs on Canada following wildfires there that sent thick smoke pouring into the United States late last week.
The president watched Sunday’s World Cup final alongside Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and later told reporters that the subject had come up.
“Our air has been poisoned. Have a good relationship with Mark Carney, but you know we got to stop the fires up there. If we can help them, we’ll help them. But maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs,” the president said.
However, a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity said the president’s latest tariff action was unrelated to his irritation over the wildfires. Instead, Canadian retaliation for the tariffs that Trump imposed last year led to Monday’s action, the official said.
After the president imposed emergency tariffs in April 2025, U.S. alcohol was removed from store shelves in many Canadian provinces. The administration also has complained about Canadian limits on auto imports and dairy products.
On Monday, Trump acted under a never-before-used provision of a 1930 trade law, which provides for tariffs of up to 50 percent against countries that discriminate against U.S. goods. The 30-day delay provides time for the two nations to resolve the dispute before tariffs take effect.
If the tariffs do take effect, they will apply to most Canadian goods, including those that qualify for duty-free treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that Trump negotiated during his first term.
The post Trump says he will impose 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods appeared first on Washington Post.
