The measures target steel products and other items such as computers and sports equipment.
The Canadian government has announced retaliatory tariffs after universal U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum came into force on March 12.
Canada’s measures will be implemented on March 13 and target CA$29.8 billion in U.S. goods, Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced in a press conference in Ottawa on March 12.
LeBlanc said the measures target steel products and other goods such as computers and sports equipment. They will be implemented alongside Canada’s other counter-tariffs imposed earlier this month in response to U.S. tariffs related to border security and fentanyl.
“We will not stand idly by while our iconic steel and aluminum industries are being unfairly targeted,” LeBlanc said.
The measures involve imposing a 25 percent surtax on $12.6 billion worth of steel products, $3 billion worth of aluminum products, and $14.2 billion worth on other goods.
The European Union also announced counter-tariffs in response to the U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs, to be implemented in April. Other countries like the United Kingdom and Australia have not announced any retaliation measures so far.
The U.S. measures impose a 25 percent surtax on imports of steel and aluminum. U.S. President Donald Trump also lifted previous exemptions on countries like Canada which the White House said “inadvertently” created “loopholes” exploited by China and other countries.
Trump said closing this gap and rebuilding domestic manufacturing capability is a matter of national security.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly accused Trump of using national security as an “excuse,” similarly to how he imposed border-related tariffs, which she said was based on “exaggerated claims.”
“The latest excuse is national security, despite the fact that Canadian steel and aluminum add to America’s security, not take away from it,” she said during the press conference.
Canada is currently the United States’ largest provider of steel and aluminum. A large portion of Canadian steel imports also come from the United States, with the trade in steel between both countries being worth $20 billion, according to the Canadian Steel Producers Association.
The main production hub for steel in Canada is in Hamilton, Ont., while the province of Quebec is the leader for aluminum.
By Noé Chartier
