WASHINGTON— The U.S. is imposing additional %0% tariffs on a range of Canadian goods in response to alleged trade discrimination against multiple U.S. products and industries, senior Trump administration officials said Monday.
President Trump signed three proclamations Monday targeting different sets of Canadian imports with the steep tariffs in response to separate areas — motor vehicles, alcohol and dairy — where the U.S. says it has been treated unfairly, the officials said in a call with reporters.
Trump claims in the proclamations that Canada discriminates against American autos, alcohol and cheese relative to other nations, but his argument rests in large part on retaliatory actions taken by Canada after the U.S. president imposed tariffs on Canada under the pretext that it should do more to stop fentanyl smuggling.
The tariffs, which fall under the rarely used Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, are set to take effect 30 days after the signings, according to the officials.
Each proclamation slaps tariffs on different Canadian products, “ranging from wine to hockey sticks to cement,” an official on the call said.
The new tariffs “apply to all covered goods,” regardless of whether they are otherwise covered under the existing free trade agreement between the U.S. and Canada, the official said.
“Canada has to be held accountable for this continued discrimination,” the official said.
