Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney has condemned the U.S. 50 per cent trade tariff, saying it violates the free trade agreement between Canada, America and Mexico.
Carney said this on Monday after the Trump administration announced a new 50 percent tariff on a range of exports from the U.S.’s northern neighbour.
President Trump signed three orders in total, accusing the country of “discriminatory” trade policies. Carney slammed the new import taxes as “the latest in a series of tariffs in direct violation” of the trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada (USMCA).
“This trade dispute has raised costs for families, particularly in the U.S.,” Carney said in a statement shared on social platform X. “Canada stands ready to engage intensively to address outstanding issues with the U.S. to the mutual benefit of our citizens.”
The Trump administration has already imposed tariffs on Canadian exports like steel and aluminum products, softwood timber and lumber.
These new tariff policies will go into effect 30 days after signing and will be enforced under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which permits up to 50 percent tariffs on imports from countries that discriminate against the U.S.
The three policies signed by the president on Monday seek to target Canada’s alleged discrimination against three main U.S. American exports: automobiles, alcohol and dairy.
Impacted exports include wine, hockey sticks, cement, furniture, paper, plywood, dairy products and more. These new policies differ from previous tariffs in that they apply to all goods, without exemption for Canadian goods covered under the USMCA. Carney said in his statement that Canada has drafted proposals to modernize the USMCA in the past 18 months in response to changes in the U.S.’s trade policies.
“We stand ready to intensify those discussions in the coming weeks,” the prime minister wrote.
Over the past year, Trump has placed economic and political pressure on Canada as part of his broader efforts to broker more advantageous trade policies for the U.S. The president’s suggestion to annex the nation as a “51st state”
have provoked angry responses from Canadian citizens. Additionally, after wildfire smoke from the nation covered parts of the northeast and Midwestern U.S., Trump threatened to impose new levies on the country. White House officials told reporters on a Monday call that the 50 percent tariffs are not related to the wildfires adding that the president has provided options related to the handling of the smoke.
BBC / Titilayo Kupoliyi
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