Trump imposes 50 percent tariff on Canadian goods

US President Donald Trump has imposed a 50 percent tariff on various goods imported from Canada.

He claimed that the decision was taken because Canada was “unfairly treating” US cars, dairy products and alcohol.

The tariff has been imposed on various consumer and industrial goods including wine, hockey sticks and cement. However, several key export products including energy, potash, important minerals and fish have been excluded from the tariff.

In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada is ready to “further intensify” trade talks with the US in the coming weeks.

The White House said that the new tariffs will take effect within the next 30 days.

The new tariffs will apply to all products on the list, regardless of whether they are covered by the USMCA, the existing free trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

This will further escalate the ongoing trade tensions between the two North American neighbors.

In a statement on social media, Carney said, “This new decision to impose tariffs is a continuation of the unilateral trade actions that the United States has initiated, one after another, in violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.”

Mark Carney also said that Canada’s sovereignty is also being threatened.

By this, he is probably referring to Trump’s statement, in which Trump publicly said that he would make Canada the 51st state of the United States.

There were already several trade barriers between the two countries, including tariffs on various products. The new import tariffs announced on Monday further increased those barriers.

The United States currently imposes tariffs of 15 to 50 percent on Canadian steel, aluminum, and copper.

It also imposes a 35 percent tariff on Canadian softwood and a 25 percent tariff on foreign-made automotive parts.

In response, Canada has imposed a 25 percent tariff on some steel, aluminum, and vehicles imported from the United States.