The Trump administration informed the Canadian government on Thursday that it intends to place a 10% tariff on unprocessed Canadian aluminum.
The new tariff is expected to go into effect on Thursday or Friday, according to Canadian news outlet CTV News.
The United States has been considering imposing tariffs on aluminum imports coming from Canada under the U.S. Trade Expansion Act unless Canada agrees to restrict its export volumes through quotas. Trump said Thursday that Canada went back on its agreement about exporting aluminum to the U.S.
“Canada was taking advantage of us, as usual,” Trump said during a campaign speech at a Whirlpool factory in Ohio.
The tariff would hit Canada, a crucial trade partner, just weeks after the president’s landmark U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement went into effect.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce criticized the aluminum tariffs, calling it “a step in the wrong direction.”
“These tariffs will raise costs for American manufacturers, are opposed by most U.S. aluminum producers, and will draw retaliation against U.S. exports — just as they did before,” said Chamber of Commerce executive vice president Myron Brilliant.
