 "‘We’ll charge same thing:’ Trump drops 250% tariff threat on Canadian lumber, dairy")
US President Donald Trump said Friday (March 7) he may slap new sanctions on lumber and dairy products from Canada shortly, a day after announcing relief from across-the-board 25 per cent tariffs.
While addressing the media in the Oval Office, Trump said, “Canada has been ripping us off for years on lumber and on dairy products.”
Notably, Canada charges a 250 per cent tariff on US dairy exports to the country.
Trump announced he was going to charge “the same thing,” suggesting the US could impose 250 per cent tariffs on Canadian lumber and dairy.
“We may do it as early as today, or we’ll wait until Monday or Tuesday,” said Trump, adding, “We’re going to charge the same thing. It’s not fair. It never has been fair, and they’ve treated our farmers badly.”
Just a day earlier, on Thursday, Trump announced a one-month pause on all tariffs for Canada and Mexico on products that comply with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). This temporary suspension provided much-needed relief to key industries, particularly the auto and agriculture sectors.
Canada imposes extremely high tariffs on certain dairy products, frustrating American dairy farmers who have long argued they are being treated unfairly.
In 2023, a trade dispute panel ruled in Canada’s favour, stating that these high import taxes did not violate the USMCA. Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin had then criticised the decision, claiming it placed an unnecessary burden on her state’s dairy industry.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“Wisconsin dairy farmers work hard every day to bring world class products to market, and they deserve a level playing field with their global competitors,” Baldwin said ahead of the November 2023 decision.
“This decision flies in the face of the agreement our country made with Canada and puts our Made in Wisconsin dairy products at a disadvantage.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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