The United States will remove a handful of Canadian products from its 50 per cent tariff list at the end of October, while adding several others, in changes that trade lawyers say do little to lower the overall barrier between the two countries.
Seaweed, packing boxes and some plywood sheets are being removed from the list. Cocoa powder, vinyl flooring and shampoos are being added, and Robert Glasgow, a trade lawyer at KPMG Law, said carpets were also among the additions. He said more items were added than removed. The full list is published in an annex on the White House website.
Politics before policy
The exemptions follow lobbying by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who faces a re-election contest in next month's midterms. She said she had secured exemptions for Maine agricultural products including blueberries, potatoes, apples and seaweed.
Barry Appleton, a trade lawyer, said Washington had "moved some bricks around" without lowering the tariff wall.
Glasgow said the changes were mostly about the midterms and that the immediate economic impact would be small.
Talks stalled
Negotiations between the two countries have been largely opaque since they broke down in August. President Trump said Canada was "working very hard to make a deal" and that "we have all the cards". Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking in Istanbul, said: "We could sign it this afternoon if the US were there."
Washington imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium in March 2025 and raised them to 50 per cent in June 2025. Canada maintains counter-tariffs on about $27.6bn of US imports.
