Trump announces 50% tariffs on wood, furniture and other Canadian exports to US

WASHINGTON, USA

President Donald Trump signed three proclamations Monday, July 20, that will impose 50 percent tariffs on certain Canadian exports to the U.S. including timber, wood and furniture.

The new rate is expected to take effect in 30 days on August 19.

The tariffs are meant to offset Canada’s “retaliation and discrimination” against U.S. exports, said U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said.  The US Trade Representative’s office said that the tariffs would apply to nearly $20 billion of imports from Canada – about 5.2 percent of the $382bn worth of goods that the US imported from Canada in 2025. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a statement saying Canada is “ready to engage” with the U.S. to resolve the months-long trade dispute.

“This is the latest in a series of unilateral U.S. trade actions that began with the U.S. imposing a series of tariffs in direct violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA0, the free trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico,” said Carney.

Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Canada should retaliate, while Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette called the new threats “unjustified and concerning.”

U.S. and Mexican trade negotiators will meet for a third round of bilateral talks on Tuesday to try to push forward with revising the North American trade agreement, just as President Donald Trump slaps Canada with a new set of punitive duties.

The talks, which exclude Canada, are set to run for three days and are the first formal discussions on changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement since the Trump administration declined to extend the six-year-old regional trade pact on July 1.

The move started a clock to wind down USMCA within 10 years unless the three countries can agree on improvements. Industry groups have urged Trump to keep intact the trilateral structure and largely tariff-free access that underpins nearly $1.6 trillion in annual trade.

(Reprinted from www.woodworkingnetwork.com)