Canada will not stand by as the United States imposes unwarranted and unreasonable tariffs on Canadian goods.
Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs, and the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced that in response to unjustified U.S. tariffs, the Government of Canada is moving forward with 25 per cent tariffs on $155 billion worth of imported goods, beginning immediately with a list of goods worth $30 billion. The scope of the Canadian counter tariffs will be increased to $155 billion if the current U.S. tariffs are maintained. The scope could also be increased if new tariffs are imposed. This was not the outcome Canada hoped for - but we must respond in order to protect our economy and Canadian jobs.
The first phase of Canada's response includes tariffs on $30 billion in goods imported from the U.S., effective as of 12:01 a.m., March 4, 2025. The list includes products such as orange juice, peanut butter, wine, spirits, beer, coffee, appliances, apparel, footwear, motorcycles, cosmetics, and certain pulp and paper products.
Minister LeBlanc also announced that, should the U.S. continue to apply unjustified tariffs on Canada, the government intends to impose additional countermeasures on $125 billion in imports from the U.S., drawing from a list of goods open for a 21-day comment period, which would bring the scope of countermeasures to a total of $155 billion worth of products. The list includes products such as electric vehicles, fruits and vegetables, beef, pork, dairy, electronics, steel, aluminum, trucks, and buses.
The government is also taking steps to mitigate the impact of these countermeasures on Canadian workers and businesses by establishing a remission process to consider requests for exceptional relief from the tariffs imposed as part of our response to the U.S. applying unjustified tariffs on Canada.
All options remain on the table as the government considers additional measures, including non-tariff options, should the U.S. continue to apply unjustified tariffs on Canada.
The U.S. administration's decision to impose tariffs on Canada will have devastating consequences for the American economy and people. As a result of the tariffs imposed by the U.S., Americans will pay more at grocery stores and gas pumps, and potentially lose thousands of jobs. U.S. tariffs will also disrupt an incredibly successful trading relationship and violate the Canada-U.S.- Mexico (CUSMA) trade agreement that was renegotiated by President Trump in his last term.
Less than 1 per cent of fentanyl and illegal crossings into the United States come from Canada, yet the government launched a $1.3 billion border plan with new choppers, boots on the ground, more coordination, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. This includes Canada's newly appointed Fentanyl Czar; a Canada-United States Joint Strike Force; an intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl, backed up by $200 million to increase law enforcement's information sharing capacity; the listing of seven transnational criminal organizations largely responsible for fentanyl pouring into our communities; and the launch of a new intelligence partnership made up of key players from Canada's big banks and law enforcement. The Government of Canada is making a strong border even stronger, and because of our work, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported a significant decrease in fentanyl seizures from Canada, with a 97 per cent drop in January 2025 compared to December 2024.
The tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration are unjustified, and detrimental to both Americans and Canadians. Working with provincial, territorial and industry partners, our singular focus is to get them removed as quickly as possible. While we urge the U.S. administration to reconsider their decision to impose tariffs, Canada will remain firm in standing up for our jobs, our industries, and our workers.
