White House lifts tariffs on some Canadian goods as midterm elections loom
The Trump administration will ease some of its 50% tariffs on Canadian goods from 30 October, a move announced by a Republican senator fighting to keep her seat two weeks before the midterm elections.
The Trump administration is lifting some of the 50% tariffs it imposed on Canadian goods, with the changes taking effect on 30 October — about two weeks before the United States holds its midterm elections.
The exemptions cover plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery, refrigeration equipment and packing crates and boxes. At the same time, new tariffs will be placed on other items, including carpets and so-called waste products.
Maine Senator Susan Collins, a Republican locked in a tight race to keep her Senate seat, announced the exemptions first. She said the move would help her state's agriculture industry, including blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed producers, and that she had repeatedly pressed senior Trump officials for tariff relief.
The 50% levy on roughly $20bn of Canadian goods followed the collapse of trade talks between the two countries in August. Canada answered with its own countermeasures, and Prime Minister Mark Carney said last month that Canada had matched the American tariffs dollar for dollar.
Canada's internal trade minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada stood ready to work in good faith toward a trading relationship that respects Canada's interests. President Trump said Canada was working very hard on a trade deal, while Carney said Canada was open to a good agreement but prepared to wait for one.
Reporting based on coverage from BBC News.