President Donald Trump is imposing an additional 50% tariff on a host of Canadian goods, from wine to hockey sticks to cement, a senior administration official said Monday.
The new tariffs come as Trump administration officials are slated to convene in Mexico on Tuesday for further talks on the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, which Trump has indicated he wants to exit. His administration links its new tariffs — which follow multiple existing sector-specific levies, including on wood and metals — to alleged “discriminatory measures” by Canada.
“They took all of this American liquor off the shelf, even if it met USMCA rules. They have put caps and quotas on American vehicles for companies that are reshoring to the United States,” the senior administration official said.
Goods exempt from the tariffs, which are slated to take effect in 30 days, include energy, potash, fish, and critical minerals. There is likely to be legal pushback to the move, as it relies on authorities under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 that has not been previously used under the circumstances the administration is now envisioning.
The official said the administration is confident that the tariffs fit “squarely within what the statute permits and allows.”