U.S. President Donald Trump's planned 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports would be added to existing levies on Canadian goods, a White House official confirmed. This news comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cautioned U.S. Vice-President JD Vance against Trump's promised tariffs, while Canadian premiers are in Washington to push back against the threat. The tariffs, set to take effect on March 12, are part of Trump's broader strategy to reshape global trade through tariffs. Canadian officials, including Premier Doug Ford, are attempting to appeal to Republican lawmakers to persuade Trump to reconsider the tariffs.
U.S. President Donald Trump 's planned 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports would be added to existing levies on Canadian goods, according to a White House official who confirmed the plan on Tuesday. This news comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cautioned U.S. Vice-President JD Vance against Trump's promised steel and aluminum tariffs, while Canadian premiers took on the Team Canada mantle in Washington to push back against Trump's tariff threats.
Trudeau and Vance are currently in Paris for a global summit on artificial intelligence. A senior government official said Trudeau spoke with the vice-president about the impact steel tariffs would have in Ohio, which Vance previously represented in the U.S. Senate. The president signed executive orders on Monday to impose 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States, including Canadian products, starting March 12. Trump previously threatened 25 percent across-the-board tariffs on Canadian imports, with a lower 10 percent levy on Canadian energy, and says those tariffs could still proceed in early March. Trudeau called the tariffs “unacceptable” on Tuesday and said he was working with international partners to deliver a “firm and clear” response. Tuesday's news from a White House official that these two classes of tariff would stack on top of each other would mean a total 50 percent tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum, if those planned measures proceed. On Monday, federal Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc spoke with Trump's newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The “conversation focused on our common objective — building a strong North American economy that benefits citizens and industries on both sides of our shared border,” LeBlanc said in a social media post. Monday's tariff threat marks another development in Trump’s larger plans to reshape global trade and American foreign policy through tariffs. Ontario Premier Doug Ford appealed directly to American business leaders in the United States capital on Tuesday, asking them to reach out to Republican lawmakers and the president himself on Canada’s behalf. “Let’s stick together and please get the message to President Trump — this is not a good idea for both countries,” Ford told members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This diplomatic push by the Council of the Federation, which includes all 13 provincial and territorial premiers, was planned originally as a stand against Trump’s original threat of overall tariffs on Canadian imports. Trump also moved to impose 25 percent tariffs on all Mexican imports at the same time, but he delayed those levies for both countries until at least March 4 in response to border security commitments made separately by Canada and Mexico. Ford said he was disappointed by the latest duties. While premiers will be talking with the federal government about retaliatory measures, Ford said it’s the last thing anyone wants. Ford, who initially suggested cutting off energy flows to the U.S., is instead leaning into his “Fortress Am-Can” proposal to deepen the resource alliance between the two countries in an effort to push back on the geopolitical influence of China. Ford was set to meet with key Republicans Lisa McClain — chair of the House Republican Conference — Rep. Rob Wittman and Sen. Kevin Cramer later Tuesday. British Columbia Premier David Eby, who is also in the U.S. capital, has said Canadians are “way too reliant on the decisions of one person in the White House.” He said it’s critical to reach out to Republicans. Despite months of diplomacy from all levels of Canada’s government, it remains unclear what Trump wants from America’s northern neighbour. His initial tariff threats were linked to border security and fentanyl, but he has since widened his complaints to include defence spending and trade deficits.Tariffs appear inevitable, said Eric Miller, president of Rideau Potomac Strategy Group, a Washington-based cross-border consultancy focused on trade.Trump might waver when the stock market is affected and prices for products and energy rise, Miller said. It means there will be pain for Canada, he added, but the premiers' efforts to appeal to Republicans in Washington may blunt the impact. “This is a case where, unfortunately, President Trump has to touch the hot stove before he realizes how valuable and integrated this relationship is,” Miller said. Ford said he believes Trump’s tariff sabre-rattling is ultimately a negotiating tactic ahead of a mandatory review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. The trilateral pact was negotiated to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement under the first Trump administration
CANADA USA DONALD TRUMP TARIFFS STEEL ALUMINUM TRADE WAR CANADA-US RELATIONS NAFTA
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