On Tuesday, President Donald Trump threatened to impose 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had instructed the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to raise the impending tariffs to 50% and called Canada “ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.”
Trump’s announcement came a day after Ontario’s premier Doug Ford increased electricity prices for 1.5 million Americans by 25%. Ontario provides electricity to New York, Michigan, and Minnesota.
These are the latest moves in an escalating trade war between the United States and Canada which began the day Trump took office.
On January 20th, President Trump announced 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, according to the Associated Press.
The tariffs were scheduled to take effect on February 4th, but on February 3rd Trump announced a 30-day pause.
The tariffs went into effect on March 4th, but were quickly followed by exceptions for certain goods and most of the tariffs were postponed again.
After Trump increased tariffs to 50%, Ontario’s premier Doug Ford said Canada will “not back down.” Premier Ford has also threatened to end all Ontario electricity sales to the U.S. if the trade war continues.
