US President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated his trade war with Canada, banning imports of alcohol and various other products while raising tariffs on others, with the conflict showing no sign of abating.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stood firm, acknowledging that reducing economic ties with the United States would come at a cost, but saying the benefits would outweigh the pain.
A range of Canadian products, from mattresses to motorboats and golf carts, will be subject to a 50% surcharge from 15 September, according to an executive order issued by Trump late on Tuesday.
The import ban, which targets various alcoholic beverages as well as some dairy products, including whey, will come into effect on 29 September, according to other executive orders issued at the same time.
Canada’s retaliatory tariffs came into effect earlier on Tuesday, applying to $27.6 billion (US$20 billion) worth of US imports, including steel and aluminium products and dairy goods such as cheese.
The measures were introduced in response to duties announced by Washington on 22 August.