(The Hill) – President Trump said his administration could impose reciprocal tariffs on Canada for dairy products and lumber as early as Friday amid a mounting trade war between the two nations.
Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, complained about Canada’s steep tariffs on dairy products and lumber imported from the U.S. The president claimed Canada is charging Americans a tariff of more than 200 percent on dairy products and a “tremendously high tariff” on lumber exports.
“They make it impossible for us to sell lumber or dairy products into Canada. But our numbers are a tiny fraction of that. Almost nonexistent,” Trump said.
“They’ll be met with the exact same tariff unless they drop it,” Trump added. “And that’s what reciprocal means. And we may do it as early as today, or we’ll wait till Monday or Tuesday, but that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to charge the same thing. It’s not fair.”
Trump told reporters his administration was loosening environmental regulations “on an emergency basis” to allow more trees to be cut down in order to create more domestic lumber supply.
Access to dairy and lumber markets have long been two of the biggest points of contention in the otherwise strong economic relationship between the U.S. and Canada.
The president’s remarks are the latest salvo in what has been a back-and-forth trade dispute between the United States and its neighbor to the north. Trump in February announced 25 percent tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada.
Those were delayed until this week and went into effect Tuesday, prompting retaliatory tariffs from Canada. But Trump has since announced exemptions for car parts and goods covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement signed in 2020.
The president has vowed to impose reciprocal tariffs on all other nations that place duties on U.S. goods, beginning April 2.
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