Mark Carney responds after Trump imposes 50% tariffs on Canadian goods

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a statement on President Trump’s latest move to impose 50 percent tariffs on a broad range of Canadian goods.

Taking to X, Mark Carney responded and called the tariffs “unilateral US trade actions in direct violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).”

The statement reads that the “US has been transforming all of its trade relationships, including those covered under CUSMA, over the past 18 months and Canada has made a series of detailed and comprehensive proposals to resolve the dispute and modernize the CUSMA.”

"We stand ready to intensify those discussions in the coming weeks," said Carney.

The Canadian PM also expressed his readiness to engage with the United States to resolve the outstanding trade-related issues to the mutual benefit of our citizens.

Mark Carney’s response came after the Trump administration imposed massive tariffs on a broad range of Canadian goods on the grounds of “claiming discriminatory treatment” by Ottawa against US alcohol, dairy products and automobiles.

As per a White House fact sheet, the tariffs will cover a range of items including hockey sticks, wine, and cement. The measures will take effect in 30 days on August 19 and will apply even to many goods covered under the USMCA. 

However, these duties will not be applicable to potash, fish, critical minerals, energy and goods which are already hit by sector-specific tariffs.

The latest series of tariffs came under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. This rarely utilized statute allows the President to impose retaliatory duties if a foreign country discriminates against US commerce.