Trump lifts 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods and adds others to the list

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday, Oct. 23, removing 50% tariffs on some Canadian imports, according to the White House, AP News and BBC News.

The products being removed from the tariffs include plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment, and certain packing crates and boxes, the White House said in a fact sheet. The same order adds a 50% tariff on other Canadian products, including certain valves, carpets and waste products. The changes take effect on Oct. 30, the White House said.

The US imposed the 50% tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian goods after trade talks between the two countries broke down in August, AP News and BBC News reported. The White House said the tariffs, imposed under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, apply whether or not a product qualifies under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is running for reelection, said she had repeatedly asked senior administration officials for tariff relief, BBC News reported. Collins wrote on X that the exempted products were "crucial to Maine's agricultural industries, including blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers." Her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, criticized Trump's trade policy and Collins in a statement, according to the BBC.

"President Trump continues to address Canada's discriminatory treatment of US commerce," White House spokesman Matthew Middleton said, according to the BBC. Canada's internal trade minister, Dominic LeBlanc, told the BBC that Canada "stands ready to work constructively and in good faith towards a more mutually beneficial trading relationship."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that Canada was open to a deal but willing to wait, according to the BBC, citing CBC.