US President Donald Trump’s import bans on selected Canadian goods took effect on Tuesday, marking another escalation in the ongoing Canada-US trade dispute.
The restrictions, which came into force at 12:01AM ET, cover some Canadian alcoholic beverages, dairy byproducts including whey, molasses and certain motorcycles.
Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office told Global News the government remains focused on “protecting and supporting Canadian workers, farmers, families and businesses from these unjustified actions.”
The bans follow the collapse of formal trade negotiations last month. The US subsequently imposed 50 percent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods, with Canada later responding with retaliatory tariffs.
Trump said on Monday he expects Canada to return to negotiations within weeks.
“I think what’s going to happen is over the next three or four weeks, they’re going to come to us and they’re gonna say, ‘We’re gonna get rid of all the tariffs’. We’re going to win everything,” Trump told reporters.
Canada is also facing separate US tariffs affecting industries including steel, aluminium, automobiles and cabinetry.
