A timeline of Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada

Donald Trump, elected President of the United States in 2024, initiated a tumultuous trade war with Canada shortly after his inauguration. On February 1, he imposed a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican imports, citing the need to combat drug trafficking and illegal border crossings. This was known as the IEEPA tariffs or fentanyl tariffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded by outlining plans for counter-tariffs. Provinces began removing American alcohol from shelves. On February 10, Trump announced additional 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, separate from the initial set. March 4 saw the tariffs take effect after a month-long pause.

In March, Trump paused some new duties and reduced levies on potash to 10%. On March 12, retaliatory tariffs took effect, targeting $29.8 billion worth of U.S. goods, including steel, aluminum, computers, sports equipment, and cast iron goods. On March 14, Mark Carney became Canada’s new prime minister.

On March 26, Trump announced 25% tariffs on automobile imports, exempting vehicles made in the U.S. and compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement. This led to Canada threatening retaliatory tariffs on all vehicles not meeting CUSMA standards. On May 6, a meeting between Trump and Carney ended with no indication of immediate tariff reductions.

On May 28, a court struck down Trump's broad-based tariffs, blocking the "Liberation Day" duties and fentanyl tariffs. A federal appeals court issued an emergency stay on these tariffs. On June 4, 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada came into effect, with Carney calling them "unlawful and unjustified." Two weeks later, Canada announced pending retaliatory tariffs, putting an end to trade talks.