By: Gavin Thorne – SeaPRwire – The tariffs are live. Canada is collecting on 28 billion Canadian dollars of American goods starting today. Steel, aluminum, textiles, stoves and hundreds of other categories now carry the extra duty. This is Ottawa’s answer to the American 50 percent tariffs. The relationship has not looked this raw in decades.
Official statements stay clipped. Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe’s office confirmed the counter-tariff plan is unchanged and takes effect on the 8th. As of September 6, officials on both sides reported no formal talks. Earlier rounds had been almost daily. This time there was no last-minute scramble. Prime Minister Carney has repeated the same condition: talks restart only when the American side stops the memes, the sarcasm and the tough-guy posturing. Trump posted that a trade war will collapse the Canadian economy and that the consequences will be worse than anything that has happened to Canadian politicians. A Nanos poll cited by CTV News shows 75 percent of Canadians support the government’s refusal of the earlier deal, with another 10 percent somewhat supportive. Roughly two-thirds worry about higher living costs. About seven in ten say they are still willing to absorb the price increases. Meanwhile Canada is pushing exports away from the United States. Statistics Canada data for July show non-U.S. exports up 7.4 percent for the third straight month, reaching a record 25.6 billion Canadian dollars. The Netherlands took more iron ore, nuclear fuel and crude. China took a range of goods. Germany took more copper ore. Shipments to the European Union jumped 31.3 percent, one of the strongest monthly rises on record. The government target is to double non-U.S. export value by 2035. On the ground, Chapman’s Ice Cream reported one of its best recent summer sales seasons even after the new duties. The company cut nine long-standing American suppliers and is now buying almonds and cherries from Australia and Chile. Wuxly, a Canadian apparel maker, is seeing rising interest in domestically produced defense textiles and is expanding into Europe. Last year it shipped more than 250,000 Canadian-made pieces to the EU and expects further growth in 2026.
The real intent is leverage and time. Ottawa is using the tariff list to force a change in tone while it builds alternative markets. Washington is already preparing the reply. A source familiar with White House discussions said a response is expected no later than Wednesday. Options under review include bans on Canadian alcohol and dairy, and possibly steel. Some voices around Trump want still harsher steps. In Michigan, Democratic Representative Haley Stevens called the tariff campaign erratic and said her state is carrying most of the economic hit: job uncertainty, reduced investment, and billions already lost.
The pendulum has swung. Canada has chosen open retaliation and public backing for the cost. The United States has signaled it will answer the answer. The next move is already timed to the middle of the week. That is the only sequence that counts now.
Author bio: Gavin Thorne, veteran geopolitical commentator who regularly publishes on North American trade conflicts and bilateral power shifts in major newspapers.