Trump to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian auto and steel imports from 2027

President Trump said in a social media post on Monday that the U.S. will impose a 50% tariff on all Canadian automotive and steel imports, effective Jan. 1, 2027, after trade talks between the two nations collapsed.

“Canada has been ripping off the United States of America for years,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“On Jan. 1, 2027, Tariffs on all Cars, Trucks, both large and small, Automotive Parts, and Steel, will be increased to 50%,” he said, noting that vehicles that are built in the U.S. are not subject to tariffs. 

“Canada will be treated like a State no longer!” he added. 

Non-U.S. automobiles and parts are currently subject to a 25% tariff. Imported Canadian steel already faces a 50% levy. 

Hit on consumers?

Trade attorney Barry Appleton, co-director and distinguished senior fellow of the Center for International Law at New York Law School, told WTX US News the tariff amounts to a tax on U.S. consumers. 

“This tariff is collected at the American border, from American car dealers and American buyers. When people hear ‘tariffs on Canada,’ they should understand the first invoice usually lands in a Michigan showroom, not in Ottawa,” he said. “Doubling the auto tariff to 50% doesn’t touch Canada’s treasury. It’s paid by the American importer of record, which on most of these vehicles is an American dealer or manufacturer.”

U.S. tariffs of 50% went into effect Saturday on hundreds of Canadian goods, including imported hockey sticks and agricultural products. Canada has vowed to retaliate with its own tariffs on U.S. products, which are set to take effect Sept. 8, according to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

In a July proclamation, Mr. Trump accused Canada of discriminating against U.S. commerce by unfairly taxing U.S. motor vehicles and treating other foreign countries more favorably than the U.S. “with respect to motor vehicles.” 

Canada imposes a 25% tariff on U.S. motor vehicles that don’t qualify for duty-free treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which Mr. Trump in his July proclamation described as “unreasonable.”

The escalating trade war could make some items more expensive for Americans. Because U.S. businesses pay the American tariffs, they are likely to pass on costs to consumers through higher prices, experts say. The new tariffs could impact about 5% of Canada’s exports to the U.S. 

Mr. Trump relied on Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose the 50% tariffs on hundreds of imported Canadian goods. 

Mounting frustration

Carney said Canada’s planned retaliatory tariff will apply to U.S. steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics.

Trade attorney Patrick Childress, a partner at Holland & Knight and former assistant general counsel at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, said trade negotiations likely broke down because they “may have simply become too expansive and multifaceted to finalize in the limited time available.”

He added that Canada’s vow to retaliate against the U.S. could make resolving the dispute more difficult. The threat “will raise the temperature during any further talks, and the tone of the two governments’ statements suggests there is already frustration on both sides of the border.”