Trump lifts 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods, adds others

President Donald Trump signed an order on Friday, October 23 remaking the 50% tariffs imposed on Canadian goods this summer – lifting them on some products and adding them to others – with the changes taking effect October 30, according to a White House fact sheet and BBC reporting.

What changed

Off the tariff list: plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment, and some packing crates and boxes. Onto it: certain valves, carpets, waste products and others. The Section 338 order modifies proclamations from July 20 and September 8, 2026, and applies whether or not goods qualify under USMCA.

The 50% tariffs were imposed in August on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods after trade talks collapsed. Prime Minister Mark Carney matched them “dollar for dollar” with counter-tariffs on U.S. exports the following month, calling them necessary to protect Canadian workers.

The politics

The move lands less than two weeks before the November 3 U.S. midterms. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine – in a tight re-election race – said she lobbied for the exemptions, which she said would benefit her state’s blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed producers. In Ottawa, Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada would assess the steps while remaining ready to work constructively, and Carney said Canada could sign a deal quickly if the U.S. was willing to.

Sources: White House fact sheet and BBC News.