Ottawa Unveils Detailed Retaliation: 15-50% Tariffs on C$27.6B of US Goods Plus C$7.5B Worker Support

Finance Minister Champagne, Industry Minister Joly, Jobs Minister Hajdu and AI Minister Solomon detailed Canada's Sept 8 retaliation package: a sliding scale of 15%, 25% and 50% tariffs covering roughly C$27.6 billion of US goods. The 50% tier hits steel, aluminum, furniture, clothing, perfumes, cosmetics, smartphones, dairy products, kitchenware, plywood, paper products, honey, doors, windows and cutlery; the 25% tier covers seafood, large kitchen appliances, cheese/curd products, carpets and textiles; 15% applies to air conditioners. Energy was excluded from the countermeasures. Ottawa paired the tariffs with a C$7.5 billion worker and business support package: temporary EI eligibility changes (C$3.5B, including a waived one-week waiting period and 20 extra weeks of benefits for long-tenured workers), a Regional Tariff Response Initiative (C$1.5B), a Business Development Bank liquidity program (C$500M), and a Canada Strong Diversification Fund (C$2B). Carney said Canada 'could not accept what the US had offered, nor could we give what they had asked.'