President Trump has blocked Canadian alcohol and dairy imports, marking an escalation of the trade conflict between the neighbouring countries.
A White House fact sheet said the move is a direct answer to Canada’s new retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars in American exports, slapped on products like US dairy, steel and agricultural equipment.
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President Donald Trump said this “discrimination places the commerce of the US at a disadvantage”.
Through a set of executive orders issued on Tuesday (8 September), Trump set out the new restrictions that are due to take effect on 29 September.
The new import ban applies to a broad range of Canadian-produced alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, whisky, rum, vodka, tequila, and brandy.
Non-alcoholic beer is included in the ban, alongside molasses and whey products.
The 50% tariffs on Canadian goods remains in place following a brief three-day waiver. These duties will apply to all affected goods currently undergoing US customs processing.
Additionally, several cheese products were placed on a list of goods that will face a 50% tariff rather than a full prohibition.
In a post on social media platform X, Canada-US trade minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada is “assessing” the new measures.
“As has been the case for the last 18 months, our first priority remains on protecting and supporting Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses from these unjustified actions. Our core focus is on what we can control: building strength at home, diversifying our partnerships abroad, and building Canada strong for all Canadians,” the post read.
In August, the White House levied 50% tariffs on roughly $20bn worth of Canadian goods after multiple rounds of negotiations collapsed.
Those duties affected industries such as Canadian furniture and wine, along with parts of the sporting and fishing equipment sector.
Canada retaliated in August with what prime minister Mark Carney described as “dollar-for-dollar” tariffs on American goods.
The counter measures covered about $20bn in US imports, with tariff levels of 15%, 25% and 50% designed to match US rates.
Under those measures, US dairy products were hit with 50% tariffs, including milk powder and whey protein concentrate, while some cheese categories, including cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella, were subject to 25% duties.
At the time, finance minister François-Philippe Champagne said: “When the US asked too much and offered too little, we chose to stand up for Canadians.”
Seafood and fish products, which had initially been part of the planned retaliation, were later taken off the list.
