Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, which took effect just after midnight Eastern on Sept. 8, 2026, hit hundreds of American products at rates from 15% to 50%, from steel and aluminum to milk, appliances and clothing.
The duties are Ottawa’s answer to a 50% U.S. tariff on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, including wine and hockey sticks, that began Aug. 22, 2026, after trade talks collapsed. Canada says it is matching the U.S. move dollar for dollar. The government values the covered imports at $27.6 billion in Canadian dollars.
The highest 50% rate applies to American milk, perfume, video game consoles, golf clubs, fishing rods, jackets and T-shirts. Steel and aluminum products also face 50%, double their previous Canadian rate. Cheese, carpets and some household appliances such as stoves and air conditioners face 25%, while forklifts and industrial molds face 15%.
Goods already in transit to Canada on Sept. 8 are exempt. Canada also dropped planned tariffs on some U.S. seafood after pushback from the lobster industry.
Economists say manufacturers in Michigan and Indiana and dairy producers in Wisconsin and Vermont could be hit hardest. The covered goods are a small slice of trade: Canada’s tariffs reach about 6% of U.S. exports to Canada.
Travelers are affected too. The Canada Border Services Agency says the tariffs follow where goods were made, not where they were bought, so returning residents may owe duties on U.S.-made purchases above personal exemption limits. Ottawa has also announced a support package for affected workers and small and medium-sized businesses.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the Trump administration “asked too much and offered too little” in negotiations. President Donald Trump has taken a harder line.
“They’ve been ripping us off for decades, and it’s going to stop,” Trump wrote in an August social media post.
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