The US regime under President Donald Trump has banned imports of nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian goods, further escalating a trade dispute between the longtime allies. The ban took effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT (04:01 GMT) on Tuesday, replacing 50% tariffs that the US had imposed on some products since August.

The ban covers a range of Canadian products, including alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, whisky, vodka and rum, as well as non-alcoholic beer, molasses and some dairy products like whey and protein concentrates. It also targets Canadian-made motorcycles and mopeds with combustion engines larger than 800 cubic centimeters. The measures affect nearly $1 billion (€850 million) in annual Canadian imports, though that represents only a small fraction of the roughly $880 billion in goods traded between the two countries each year.

The US regime claims that Canada discriminates against American dairy, vehicle and alcohol exporters. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the bans were a consequence of Canada's treatment of American exports. Jacob Jensen of the American Action Forum estimated that the ban covers $967 million in Canadian imports based on 2025 figures, with alcoholic beverages accounting for 87% of the total.

The previous 50% tariffs had already made importing many of the affected products uneconomical. However, analysts warned that the move could provoke further Canadian retaliation and complicate efforts to renew the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Over the summer, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on around $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, and Canada responded with tariffs of between 15% and 50% on an equivalent value of US goods. Some Canadian provinces also removed US alcoholic beverages from store shelves.

Source: www.dw.com