Trump hits Canada with import bans, 50pc tariffs

WASHINGTON, Sept 9: US President Trump has announced new import bans and 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods as tensions between the two countries intensify. This comes a day after Ottawa's retaliatory tariffs on US products took effect.

Canadian dairy products, motorcycles and alcoholic beverages face import bans in the United States, while other goods from across the border will be hit with 50% tariffs, the White House said Tuesday, as President Donald Trump escalates a trade war with Ottawa.

The import ban is scheduled to take effect on September 29.
Trump also ordered a 50% tariff on additional Canadian goods, including mattresses, motorboats and golf carts, starting September 15.

The latest moves came after Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs of up to 50% on about $20 billion (€17.2 billion) of US goods on Monday, following Washington's decision last month to levy 50% tariffs on selected Canadian imports.

The White House said the alcohol ban was partly in response to provincial boycotts of US alcohol. Canadian provinces have removed many US wines and spirits from store shelves amid a widespread boycott of American goods, a move Trump called "discriminatory."

"President Trump is doing this to make sure, again, that we keep a level playing field, deter retaliation, and of course protect American production," a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters on a call.

Trump also directed the US General Services Administration to exclude Canadian products from its long-term government procurement contracts unless Ottawa restores what he called "full and fair reciprocity" for American farmers and companies.

On Monday, Trump threatened to block Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier from selling planes in the US unless it manufactures them in the United States.

Nearly 68% of Canadian exports headed to the US this year, with about 80% of those shipments entering duty-free under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) exemptions, data showed.�"BBC