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From food and booze, to toilet paper and motorcycles: Here are the U.S. goods Canada is targeting

(Photo credit: Delphine Hourlay, Nima Ashkbari and Zain Ali from Pexels; Harley Davidson photo from Pixa Bay)

Releasing the full list of U.S. products that will be subject to 25 per cent import tariffs as of Tuesday in retaliation to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian imports, senior government officials say the items selected were done so, strategically.

The tariffs target a variety of goods, including food and drink, automotive parts, clothing and footwear, accessories and undergarments, cosmetics, luggage, home wares, furniture and appliances, motorcycles, tobacco, lumber, paper and more.

These items were chosen both because they are expected to have an impact on key U.S. stakeholders, and because they are products where the impact on Canadians can be minimized as there are domestically-made alternatives, according to a senior government official, who briefed reporters in Ottawa on Sunday morning, on a not-for-attribution basis.

While not an exhaustive breakdown – for that keep scrolling – here’s an overview of how deeply Canada is targeting certain sectors with tariffs, according to annual import figures stated by a senior official:

  • Cosmetics and body care: $3.5 billion
  • Appliances and other household items: $3.4 billion
  • Pulp and paper products: $3 billion
  • Tires: $2 billion
  • Plastic products: $1.8 billion
  • Precious gems and metals: $1.7 billion
  • Furniture $1.6 billion
  • Wood products: $875 million
  • Coffee: $714 million
  • Grains: $600 million
  • Wine grape, spirits and other products: $589 million
  • Cocoa products: $569 million
  • Tools and cutlery: $560 million
  • Dairy: $555 million
  • Sugar and sugar containing products: $542 million
  • Sauces and dressings $517 million; and
  • Fruits: $512 million

Tuesday’s tariffs are the first of two phases announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday, said to total $30 billion in U.S. goods. A further round of tariffs on a wider list of American products, valued at $125 billion, is expected to come into effect 21 days later, following a public comment period.

This second list will be made available in the coming days, and will include passenger vehicles, trucks and buses, recreational vehicles and boats, steel and aluminum products, aerospace products, and more, according to the finance department.

On Saturday from Mar-a-Lago, Trump took massive trade action against Canada, as well as Mexico and China. The U.S. president ordered the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, with the exception of energy, which will be subject to a 10 per cent tariff, all expected to come into effect on Tuesday.

Obvious violation of free trade pact: official

Senior officials said Sunday that they hope these first steps will be enough for Americans to get the message that they’ve gone down the wrong path, but noted additional measures continue to be contemplated, such as whether a further energy response is required. The officials left the door open to there being a further tranche of Canadian responses down the line.

“These U.S. tariffs are plainly unjustified,” wrote federal Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc in a press release Sunday morning. “Our singular focus is to get them removed as quickly as possible. Until then, our response will be balanced and resolute.”

Going beyond the minister’s remarks, a senior official said Sunday that Trump’s tariffs are illegal, and an obvious violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) as well as under the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the government intends to pursue legal action and other avenues of recourse.

The tariffs will only apply to goods that originate from the U.S. and will not apply to U.S. goods that are in transit to Canada on the day these tariffs come into force.

The government is also initiating a remission process so Canadian businesses can request relief from payment or refund of tariffs paid in instances where goods can’t reasonably be sourced domestically or in other “exceptional” circumstances.

Canadian officials would not confirm any figures regarding the estimated economic impact of the cross-border levying of trade action, nor could they offer an estimate on the revenue anticipated to be collected by targeting this broad swath of American goods.

The federal government intends to keep these countermeasures in effect until the Trump administration eliminates its tariffs against Canada.

Trudeau’s targeting of these items is coupled with additional pressure the provinces and territories are imposing, such as halting the sale of American alcohol..

Here is the full list of products, published Sunday afternoon by the department of finance: