Canada resists US tariffs as 19 August deadline nears

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said trade negotiations with the United States remain constructive as a 19 August deadline approaches for new US tariffs on Canadian goods. The threatened tariffs, set at 50%, would apply to a range of exports including alcohol, cement and hockey sticks, as reported by CBC News. Carney described Canada’s current tone toward the US as already "quite firm" but declined to specify whether a tougher stance would be adopted before the deadline.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has justified the tariffs as part of a strategy to reduce the US trade deficit, which reached $1.2tn in 2025. Greer told a US Senate finance committee last month that the deficit constitutes a "national emergency". Canada’s trade minister, Dominic LeBlanc, and chief negotiator Janice Charette are in Washington for talks, meeting with US officials including Republican senators and the CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers. LeBlanc described last week’s discussions with Greer as "comprehensive".

The Globe and Mail reported that one option under discussion is for Canada to introduce export quotas on steel and aluminium to reduce US tariffs on those sectors. Carney declined to comment on the possibility, saying only that "we have options". Canada has already addressed two trade measures the US opposed: a planned digital services tax and a levy on streaming companies. Greer acknowledged the rollback but said Canada "doesn’t really get credit for doing something bad and then undoing it".

What the coverage left out

None of the right-rated digests mention the $1.2tn US trade deficit figure cited by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The single right-rated digest also omits the 19 August deadline, the 50% tariff rate, and the specific sectors under discussion in the trade talks.