Canada’s retaliatory tariffs cover U.S. goods from sunscreen to dairy

Canada’s trade dispute with the United States entered a new phase Tuesday as the federal government introduced retaliatory tariffs aimed at sectors it says were most affected by the Trump administration’s tariffs.

A 50 per cent tariff applies to a range of U.S. dairy products, including milk, cream, concentrated and sweetened varieties, powders, whey, and several milk and whey protein products. Fresh cheese and curd, including grated, powdered and processed varieties, face a 25 per cent tariff. The list includes Camembert, brie, blue cheese, cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, Gruyère, Havarti and Parmesan. Under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, U.S. dairy imports are tariff-free until specified quotas are reached, while over-quota imports can face rates above 200 per cent. Finance says the new 50 per cent tariffs apply both below and above quota.

Canada had initially planned a 25 per cent tariff on a broad range of U.S. seafood, including salmon, halibut, cod, haddock, tilapia, lobster, crab, shrimp, prawns, oysters, mollusks, swordfish, mackerel, herring, capelin, anchovies and sardines. Ottawa removed seafood from the list on Aug. 26, citing feedback from fishing and processing sectors.

U.S. wood products, including sawed or sliced pine, fir and spruce more than six millimetres thick, face 25 per cent tariffs. Plywood and veneered panels made from various softwoods and hardwoods face 50 per cent. Toilet paper, facial tissue, napkins and similar sanitary products are subject to 25 or 50 per cent tariffs depending on import size. Most paper, paperboard, envelopes and corrugated boxes and cases face 50 per cent tariffs, while some lower-weight kraft paper and bleached paper products face 25 per cent. Household wooden furniture is subject to 50 per cent tariffs, except kitchen furniture at 25 per cent; imported wood charcoal was added at 50 per cent on Aug. 26.

Tariffs on several steel and aluminum products rose from 25 to 50 per cent. The products include steel rods, bars, sheets, bridges, towers, scaffolding, and door and window frames, as well as aluminum wires, bars, rods and foil. Ottawa added a 50 per cent tariff on various copper-wire sizes on Aug. 26. Canada imposed 25 per cent tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum in March 2025 in response to U.S. tariffs; Donald Trump raised the U.S. steel tariff to 50 per cent in June and has threatened 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and vehicles beginning Jan. 1, 2027.

Perfumes, eau de toilette, sunscreen and suntan products, lip and eye makeup, manicure and pedicure preparations, and hair products face 50 per cent tariffs. The same rate applies to a broad range of clothing, including men’s suits and overcoats, T-shirts, dresses, track suits, ski suits, hazardous-material suits and protective clothing. Handwoven rugs, tiles and carpets made from wool, animal hair and other textiles face 25 per cent.

Smartphones, golf clubs and equipment, video-game consoles, chandeliers and light fixtures, exercise equipment, fishing rods, U.S. natural honey, molasses, vinyl-chloride wall and ceiling coverings, and plastic bags, packaging, tableware and kitchenware face 50 per cent tariffs. Most air conditioners face 15 per cent tariffs. Stoves, ranges, refrigerators, freezers, laundry machines and small appliances such as rice cookers, bread makers, grills and cooking plates face 25 per cent. Tower cranes, jacks and hoists, forklift trucks and lawn mowers face 15 or 25 per cent tariffs; rail locomotives, train parts and railway maintenance vehicles face 25 per cent, motorcycles 50 per cent, trailers and semi-trailers 25 per cent, and moulds for metal, rubber and plastics 15 per cent.