{
  "id": 1758536,
  "title": "Trump and Carney hold urgent talks as steep 50% US tariffs on Canada loom",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/trump-and-carney-hold-urgent-talks-as-steep-50-us-tariffs-on-canada",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-18T17:29:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3364480/trump-and-carney-hold-urgent-talks-steep-50-us-tariffs-canada-loom"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney engaged in urgent discussions with US President Donald Trump on Monday to prevent impending 50% US tariffs on Canadian goods, according to Ottawa. The pending tariffs, set to take effect on Wednesday, would target a wide range of Canadian products, such as wine, hockey sticks, and cement. These tariffs constitute around 5.5% of Canada's exports to the US, valued at approximately US$20 billion, as estimated by Oxford Economics. While the economic impact of these tariffs may be deemed modest, they would particularly affect central Canada's manufacturing sector. Canadian negotiators in Washington have been pushing for a deal to avert the tariffs and secure relief on sector-specific duties, which have already caused significant harm to Canada's car, steel, timber, and aluminium industries. Ottawa has reportedly offered concessions like pressuring provinces to restock US alcohol and wine shelves. However, it remains uncertain if a deal is imminent. Former US commerce official Christopher Padilla noted that trade negotiations often reach their deadline without a conclusion. He suggested that the Trump administration may have employed the threat of new tariffs to secure early concessions from Canada as they negotiate the renewal of the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement (USMCA). Despite a potential deal, the US President could reject it if it doesn't appease his political interests, such as Canada's growing economic ties with Europe or China. Oxford Economics predicts that sectors most impacted by the tariffs include cement, paper, printing, wood, clothing, and electronics equipment. The tariffs, which do not apply to energy, potash, or goods already under sector-specific tariffs, are set to target products covered by the USMCA.",
  "summary": "Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has held urgent talks with US President Donald Trump, Ottawa confirmed Tuesday, in an effort to avoid fresh US tariffs on Canadian goods as a midnight deadline fast approaches. Trump signed orders for the steep 50 per cent duties last month, with the White House alleging “discriminatory treatment” by Canada against US alcohol, car and dairy products. The…",
  "key_points": [
    "US President Trump and Canadian PM Carney hold urgent talks",
    "50% tariffs on Canadian goods set to take effect Wednesday",
    "Tariffs would target wine, hockey sticks, cement and more"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}