OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was disappointed after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to raise tariffs on Canadian goods to 35% from 25% on products outside the scope of the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
The move, which Washington linked in part to what it said was Canada’s failure to stop fentanyl smuggling, is the latest salvo in Trump’s months-long tariff war initiated soon after taking power.
US duties and tariffs will heavily affect lumber, steel, aluminum, and automobiles, Carney said in a post on X, vowing action to protect Canadian jobs, buy its goods, invest in industrial competitiveness and diversify export markets.
To justify its step, the US has cited the cross-border flow of fentanyl, even though Canada accounts for just 1% of US fentanyl imports and has been working intensively to further reduce the volumes, Carney added.