Carney Says Counter-Measures a Response to US Violation of CUSMA as Trump Imposes New Tariffs
https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/carney-says-canadian-counter-tariffs-are-in-response-to-us-violation-of-cusma-as-trump-threatens-new-50-percent-tariff-6064903
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada’s remaining counter-tariffs are in response to Washington’s sectoral tariffs on items such as Canadian auto parts, which he says violate the North American free trade agreement.
His comments came as U.S. President Donald Trump said his country would impose 50 percent tariffs on additional Canadian imports in response to Canada’s protective measures.
“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 (CUSMA), the free trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico,” Carney said late on July 20 in a statement.
“These include tariffs on the Canadian auto sector, in violation of CUSMA. Canada, as is its right, has merely matched those measures.”
Trump signed three proclamations on July 20 to impose 50 percent tariffs on Canadian alcohol, dairy products, cement, and other products including hockey sticks. The White House said the new measures are in response to Canada’s dairy supply management, provincial bans on U.S. alcohol, and counter-tariffs on auto parts.
Canada initially responded to U.S. blanket tariffs imposed in early 2025 over concerns about cross-border fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration with a slew of counter-tariffs of its own, but later removed most of those measures in September 2025 in an effort to reach a trade deal with Washington. However, Carney said at the time that Canada will maintain its counter-measures in kind in response to Washington’s sectoral tariffs, including those on auto parts, steel, and aluminum. Continue…