Welcome back, listeners, to Canada Tariff News and Tracker. Here’s the latest as of June 19, 2025.
This year has seen a dramatic escalation in tariff tensions between the United States and Canada, driven by renewed trade actions from the Trump administration. On February 10 and 11, President Donald Trump signed executive orders imposing a 25 percent tariff on imports of steel and aluminum products from all countries, including Canada, effective March 12, 2025. Then, on June 3, Trump announced an additional executive order ensuring that the highest applicable tariff rate—now up to 50 percent—would be enforced for Canadian steel and aluminum products entering the United States. These measures are widely regarded as highly damaging to Canada’s steel and aluminum industries, with the Canadian government yet to announce a formal response to the increased 50 percent rate according to PwC Canada.
In response, the Government of Canada acted swiftly. Effective March 13, 2025, Canada implemented 25 percent tariffs on $29.8 billion worth of products imported from the United States, according to the official announcement from the Department of Finance Canada. These countermeasures will remain in place until the U.S. eliminates its tariffs against Canadian steel and aluminum products. The tariffs apply to a wide range of goods, including but not limited to steel, aluminum, auto imports, toys, printed materials, and a variety of consumer and industrial products. The Canada Border Services Agency is currently collecting these tariffs as a surtax at the border, impacting businesses and consumers alike.
The current list of affected products has grown to nearly 1,800 unique tariff lines, with American exporters and Canadian importers struggling to adapt. For example, according to ePost Global Shipping’s analysis, American-exported goods now face a price increase of 25 percent upon entry into Canada, making U.S. products significantly more expensive and potentially less competitive in the Canadian market.
For listeners importing goods from the US, keep in mind that Canadian tariffs are levied not only on new goods but also on used goods, personal effects, gifts, and even items transiting through Canada. The burden of proof is on the importer to show that goods do not originate from the US if you wish to avoid the surtax, as outlined by the Canada Border Services Agency.
The trade war has broader implications as well. According to Wikipedia’s documentation of the 2025 US-Canada-Mexico trade war, the Trump administration’s tariffs are part of a broader strategy aimed at reducing the U.S. trade deficit and pressuring Canada on border security and narcotics trafficking. Canadian leaders have denounced the tariffs as unjustified and in violation of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement.
With supply chains upended, costs rising, and negotiations ongoing, the trade relationship between Canada and the US remains tense and deeply uncertain. We’ll continue to track every headline and policy shift so you stay informed.
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