NewzVille Desk
The trade war between the USA and Canada is entering another phase — with both sides digging in President Donald Trump has ordered a 50-percent surcharge on a range of Canadian products, including mattresses, motorboats and golf carts.
The new tariffs are set to take effect September 15. A separate set of executive orders targets Canadian alcoholic beverages and certain dairy products, including whey. Those import restrictions are due to begin September 29.
Trump has also targeted Canadian companies operating in the United States. He has threatened restrictions on Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, unless the company moves more manufacturing to the United States Washington is also threatening to remove Canadian-origin products from the U.S. government’s Multiple Award Schedules procurement program.
The latest measures came just hours after Canada’s retaliatory tariffs took effect Ottawa is imposing duties on 27.6 billion dollars worth of U.S. imports.
But Canada’s dependence on its southern neighbour makes any prolonged trade confrontation particularly difficult.
Nearly 60 percent of Canada’s imports come from the United States, while roughly 70 percent of Canadian exports are destined for the U.S. market.
Canada has also announced a 7.5 billion-dollar support package aimed at helping businesses and workers absorb the impact.
The latest escalation follows the collapse of trade negotiations on August 21. Since then, there has been no resumption of formal talks.
Trump has also continued his provocative rhetoric over Canada On August 30, he posted a map labeling the body of water widely known as Lake Ontario as “Lake America.”
For now, neither side appears ready to back down. The economic damage may initially be modest at the national level in Canada — but the pressure is expected to be felt more sharply in manufacturing-heavy regions and with trade talks still stalled, the question now is whether the latest escalation pushes the two neighbours back to the negotiating table — or takes them even further apart.
