Trump signs order cutting some Canada tariffs and adding others ahead of midterms
Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday reshuffling the 50 per cent Section 338 tariffs on Canadian goods — lifting duties on plywood, paper, machinery and seaweed while adding carpets, shampoos, coffins and canoes — in a move aimed at helping Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine. The changes take effect on October 30, four days before the November 3 midterms.
Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation on Friday reshuffling the 50 per cent tariffs imposed on Canadian goods under Section 338 of the Tariff Act — lifting duties on some products while adding a string of others to the list, in a move plainly aimed at helping Republican Senator Susan Collins in a tight Maine re-election race.
The order removes the 50 per cent duty on plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment, packing crates and boxes, and fresh and dried seaweed, Reuters reported. To compensate, it adds carpets, paints, shampoos, cocoa powder, wooden coffins, ice cream sticks, air-conditioning machines, chest freezers, archery equipment, canoes, certain valves and waste products to the 50 per cent tariff list. The changes take effect on October 30 — four days before the November 3 midterm elections.
Collins, whose Democratic challenger Troy Jackson has made the trade war central to her neck-and-neck re-election contest, said she had lobbied the White House for the relief, AFP reported. A US official said the swap keeps the overall tariff impact unchanged.
Ottawa responded cautiously. “The Canadian government takes note of these recent tariff measures adopted by the United States,” Canada’s Dominic LeBlanc said, according to AFP.
The move revises the 50 per cent Section 338 regime imposed in August — not the earlier blanket 25 per cent tariffs — and confirms the easing that Flip News reported on Friday as expected.
Sources: Reuters (via Deccan Herald: https://www.deccanherald.com/world/us/trump-ends-tariffs-on-some-canadian-products-aiming-to-help-senator-collins-4193499); AP-cited summary (via https://thisnewsroom.com/canada-tariffs-trump-collins-maine-swap/); Supply Chain Dive (https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/trump-tweaks-canada-tariffs-removing-certain-goods-while-adding-others/833895/); AFP (via Channel News Asia: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/trump-canada-tariffs-midterms-6488081); SCMP (https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3371986/trump-lowers-some-canada-tariffs-help-maine-lawmakers-re-election-bid); ETV Bharat (https://www.etvbharat.com/en/business/trump-lifts-some-canada-tariffs-ahead-of-midterms-enn26102400531).
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