Trump poised to lift 50% tariffs on some Canadian products
Tariff exemptions cover packaging, machinery and seaweed
Collins said in a statement Friday that nine categories of products would be exempt. They include corrugated paper and boxes, some plastic packaging materials, refrigeration and freezing equipment, agricultural cleaning, sorting and grading machinery, certain packaging machinery, and seaweed and algae food products.
Collins said the changes would support Maine’s blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed industries. Her office said she pressed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for the exemptions. She said she would keep seeking more relief and a broader deal with Canada, which she called “our neighbor, ally, and largest trading partner.”
It would be the second change to the tariffs. President Donald Trump exempted road salt and cement from the tariffs in September after a request from Collins, but offset the move by applying 50 per cent tariffs to other Canadian products, keeping the affected total at about US$20 billion, the Journal reported. It said it is unclear which products, if any, would be newly tariffed this time.
Trade talks remain at a standstill
The 50 per cent tariffs took effect in late August on about US$20 billion in Canadian goods, roughly five per cent of Canada’s exports to the U.S., after last-minute negotiations broke down. Canada retaliated, and its counter-tariffs on American goods took effect on Sept. 8, 2026.
The Journal reported that Trump has since banned imports of certain Canadian products and threatened to double tariffs on Canadian vehicles in January if no agreement is reached. There have been no substantive talks since negotiations collapsed in August, though Trump has said Canada is working on a trade deal.
