President Donald Trump has announced plans to impose an additional 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, intensifying trade tensions with one of the nation’s largest trading partners.
The levy is set to come into effect from Wednesday 12 March.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday: “I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an ADDITIONAL 25 per cent Tariff, to 50 per cent, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.”
Trump also said that if Canada did not drop its “long time” tariffs, he would “substantially increase” levies on cars coming into the US, a move he said would “essentially, permanently shut down” the country’s carmaking industry.
The move comes in response to Ontario’s decision to impose a levy on electricity exports to the U.S.
Donald Trump has already imposed new tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico and could impose them on the UKREUTERSTrump said his tariffs would go into effect on Wednesday morning, and that he would declare “a national emergency on electricity” in those states.
He said if tariffs including those on agricultural products were not dropped, he would hike taxes on the car industry, “which will, essentially, permanently shut down the automobile manufacturing business in Canada”.
“He wrote: Also, Canada must immediately drop their Anti-American Farmer Tariff of 250% to 390% on various U.S. dairy products, which has long been considered outrageous. I will shortly be declaring a National Emergency on Electricity within the threatened area.”
He also threatened to “substantially increase” tariffs on cars coming into the United States on April 2 “if other egregious, long time Tariffs are not likewise dropped by Canada.
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He also threatened to “substantially increase” tariffs on cars coming into the United States on April 2 “if other egregious, long time Tariffs are not likewise dropped by Canada.”