Trump lifts 50% tariffs on 22 Canadian product lines, adds 100 more
A White House proclamation signed on October 23 removes the extra 50% duty on Canadian plywood, packing boxes and some machinery from October 30, but adds it to carpets, valves, shampoo and other goods — a reshuffle, not an end to the trade war.
At a glance
- President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday, October 23, 2026, removing the additional 50% tariff from 22 Canadian product lines, including plywood, some paper, corrugated boxes, crates, packing machinery, refrigeration equipment and seaweed.
- The same order adds about 100 other lines to the 50% duty, including certain valves, carpets, waste products, shampoo, vinyl flooring, coffins and window air conditioners.
- The changes apply to goods entering the US on or after October 30, 2026.
- The 50% tariffs were imposed on about $20 billion of Canadian goods on August 22 after trade talks failed; Canada retaliated from September 8.
- Maine Senator Susan Collins, in a tight re-election race, said she pushed for the relief; Ontario Premier Doug Ford said: 'Now get rid of the rest.'
US President Donald Trump has removed the extra 50% tariff from a short list of Canadian products and added it to a much longer one. A proclamation signed on Friday, October 23, 2026, takes 22 Canadian tariff lines — including plywood, packing boxes, crates, some machinery and seaweed — off the duty and adds about 100 others, such as carpets, valves, shampoo and window air conditioners, from October 30. The move, 11 days before the US midterm elections, reshuffles the trade war with Canada rather than ending it.
What changes on October 30
The new rules apply to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouses for consumption, in the United States on or after October 30, 2026.
| Removed from the 50% duty (22 lines) | Added to the 50% duty (about 100 lines) |
|---|---|
| Certain plywood sheets (7 of the 22 lines) | Certain valves |
| Some paper products | Carpets |
| Corrugated boxes, crates and packing cases | Waste products |
| Plastic sacks | Shampoo |
| Packing machinery | Vinyl flooring |
| Certain refrigeration equipment | Coffins |
| Seaweed | Window-unit air conditioners |
The White House said the duties respond to what it calls Canada's "discrimination or unreasonable and unequal imposition" on US car and auto-parts exports, and that the changes will offset the burden on American commerce. The 50% duty applies even to goods that meet the origin rules of the USMCA free-trade agreement. A separate proclamation dated the same day deals with tariffs on Canadian motor vehicles.
For an importer, the stakes are large: a $100,000 shipment that falls under the duty carries $50,000 in extra tariffs.
Background: how the trade war started
Trump imposed the additional 50% tariff on about $20 billion of Canadian goods on August 22, 2026, after talks between the two countries failed. Canada hit back with tariffs on an equivalent value of US imports from September 8. Earlier exemptions had already been granted for road salt and pulp.
Canada is one of the largest trading partners of the United States, and many supply chains — especially in farming, forestry, cars and packaging — cross the border several times before a product is finished.
Reactions
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who is seeking a sixth term, said she had asked senior administration officials for the relief. She said Maine's wild blueberry growers rely on specialised harvesting boxes from Canada, and apple, potato and seaweed producers depend on Canadian packaging and equipment that US suppliers do not offer or that would be costly to replace. In a debate with her Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, she called Canada "our neighbor, our friend, our closest ally and our biggest trading partner."
Mr Jackson said Ms Collins had not done enough to get the tariffs lifted entirely. Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, called the exemptions a politically motivated "stunt". Ontario Premier Doug Ford replied on social media: "Now get rid of the rest."
Why it matters
The partial rollback will lower costs for US farmers and packers who rely on Canadian boxes, plywood and machinery, especially during the harvest. But the newly added items will make carpets, flooring, valves, air conditioners and personal-care products from Canada more expensive for American buyers and will hit the Canadian factories that make them.
The changes also show how tariffs have become an election issue. Several Republicans have pushed back against the trade war over the cost of living, and the White House is targeting relief at goods that matter to voters in close races. For businesses on both sides of the border, the constant changes make planning and pricing harder.
What happens next
The new list takes effect on October 30. Canada has not yet said whether it will adjust its own counter-tariffs. The midterm elections on November 3 will decide control of Congress, which could shape how far the administration goes with further trade moves against Canada and other partners.
Questions people are asking
Which Canadian goods are no longer subject to Trump's 50% tariff?
From October 30, 2026, the extra 50% duty no longer applies to 22 Canadian tariff lines, including certain plywood sheets, some paper products, corrugated boxes, crates and packing cases, plastic sacks, packing machinery, refrigeration equipment and seaweed.
Which Canadian products were added to the 50% tariff list?
About 100 new lines now face the 50% duty, including certain valves, carpets, waste products, shampoo, vinyl flooring, coffins and window-unit air conditioners. The additions also take effect on October 30.
Why did the US put 50% tariffs on Canada?
Trump imposed the extra 50% duty on about $20 billion of Canadian goods on August 22, 2026, after trade talks between the two countries broke down. The proclamation says the duties respond to what Washington calls Canada's unequal treatment of US car and auto-parts exports.
