Trump signs order imposing new 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods

US President Donald Trump signed orders on Monday imposing new 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods, citing what the White House called Canada's "discriminatory treatment" of US alcohol, automobiles and dairy products. The tariffs take effect in 30 days, with energy, potash and sector-specific imports exempted, the White House said.


Issued on 21/07/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

Global Container Terminals' Deltaport facility in Delta, British Columbia, Canada, July 16, 2026 © Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press via AP

US President Donald Trump signed orders Monday to impose new 50-percent tariffs on many Canadian goods, claiming "discriminatory treatment" by Ottawa against American alcohol, automobile and dairy products.

The tariffs take effect in 30 days and cover a wide range of goods including wine, hockey sticks and cement, said the White House in a fact sheet.

Trump tapped a little-known legal provision for the new duties – Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 – which allows officials to take action against countries said to engage in discriminatory trade practices.

Cover image: © France 24
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The latest duties will not apply to energy, potash and goods already impacted by sector-specific tariffs, the White House said.

Crucially, however, they will hit products covered under the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement (USMCA).

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in response that Ottawa stands ready to "intensify" talks with the United States, and has made proposals to resolve disputes and modernise the USMCA.

"This is the latest in a series of unilateral US trade actions that began with the US imposing a series of tariffs in direct violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement," he added.

"Canada, as is its right, has merely matched those measures," Carney said.

While Trump has slapped sweeping duties on US trading partners since returning to the presidency last year, these have generally come with broad exemptions for goods entering his country under the North American free trade pact.

His latest actions threaten to further strain ties between Washington and Ottawa, and come just days after he threatened Canada with increased tariffs over smoke from raging wildfires that drifted into the United States.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)