Trade talks between Canada and the U.S. collapsed Friday, and 50% tariffs on hundreds of Canadian products, including beverage alcohol, took effect at 12:01 a.m. on August 22. The US Customs announcement and list of tariff numbers and exemptions is linked here for reference. Canada’s Prime Minister Carney has announced that he will initiate dollar-for-dollar retaliation starting September 8, and we will monitor this news closely. The US alcohol ban was one of the key factors in the negotiation and, at this point, will most likely continue until the current trade war is resolved.
Since August 22: Canada has confirmed its retaliatory tariffs will target roughly $20 billion of U.S. goods, focused on steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics, though Ottawa has not yet published the detailed product-level tariff list — expected before the September 8 effective date. Provinces most exposed to the U.S. tariffs include British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec, and economists are already flagging price increases for a range of consumer goods on both sides of the border as the trade war escalates.
WSSA is part of the Toasts Not Tariffs Coalition and the TNT is preparing a statement urging the leaders of both countries to get back to the negotiating table, with the goals of returning US beverage alcohol to Canadian consumers and avoiding tariff actions that will increase costs and uncertainty across all business sectors. Reach out with any questions to info@wssa.com.