Trump, Carney hold last-minute talks ahead of new 50% tariffs on Canadian goods
US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are negotiating in an effort to reach an agreement on tariffs, with just hours to go before the United States (US) imposes 50% tariffs on hockey sticks, wine and an array of other Canadian imports, CNBC reported on Tuesday.
"We are negotiating," said Carney. ”The negotiations are very intense and delicate. This is not the time to talk about negotiations in public,” he added.
The new tariffs are set to take effect Wednesday, unless a deal is struck to postpone or cancel them. If no deal is reached, this measure will be the latest that Trump has slapped on Canada.
According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, the new duties cover around $20 billion worth of Canadian imports.
Market reaction
At the time of writing, the USD/CAD pair is up 0.20% on the day at 1.3900.
Tariffs FAQs
Tariffs are customs duties levied on certain merchandise imports or a category of products. Tariffs are designed to help local producers and manufacturers be more competitive in the market by providing a price advantage over similar goods that can be imported. Tariffs are widely used as tools of protectionism, along with trade barriers and import quotas.
Although tariffs and taxes both generate government revenue to fund public goods and services, they have several distinctions. Tariffs are prepaid at the port of entry, while taxes are paid at the time of purchase. Taxes are imposed on individual taxpayers and businesses, while tariffs are paid by importers.
There are two schools of thought among economists regarding the usage of tariffs. While some argue that tariffs are necessary to protect domestic industries and address trade imbalances, others see them as a harmful tool that could potentially drive prices higher over the long term and lead to a damaging trade war by encouraging tit-for-tat tariffs.
During the run-up to the presidential election in November 2024, Donald Trump made it clear that he intends to use tariffs to support the US economy and American producers. In 2024, Mexico, China and Canada accounted for 42% of total US imports. In this period, Mexico stood out as the top exporter with $466.6 billion, according to the US Census Bureau. Hence, Trump wants to focus on these three nations when imposing tariffs. He also plans to use the revenue generated through tariffs to lower personal income taxes.