The United States increases tariffs on Canadian products and bans the importation of alcohol

Action, reaction. The White House increased its trade conflict with Canada on Tuesday evening by banning the import of certain Canadian products, notably alcohol, and by raising customs duties on other goods. A series of products, ranging from mattresses to motorboats to golf carts, will be hit with a 50% surcharge starting September 15, according to a presidential decree. The import ban, targeting all kinds of alcoholic beverages but also a dairy product such as whey, will come into force on September 29, according to other decrees published at the same time.

Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump threatened to make life more difficult for Canadian businesses by blocking their access to a public procurement program after Ottawa retaliated against US surcharges. “I instruct (...) to take all necessary measures to REMOVE products of Canadian origin” from a program of multi-year contracts between private suppliers and public sector buyers, wrote the American head of state on his Truth Social platform. This market can represent up to $50 billion per year, he said. In fact, by targeting the public order market, the American government could penalize Canadian exports that have so far been spared from surcharges, Ryan Majerus, a lawyer specializing in commercial law, told AFP.