Ambassador Says Canada Readying New Tariff List Against US, Including Ag Products

David MacNaughton, Canada’s ambassador to the United States said Monday that Canada could announce a new list of retaliatory tariffs on more U.S. goods, including agricultural products, as early as next week.

Canadian officials are attempting to ratchet up the pressure on the U.S. to drop steel and aluminum tariffs, referred to as the “Section 232” tariffs,  placed on steel and aluminum imports by the U.S. last year. The Trump administration maintains the tariffs on imported steel and aluminum are needed for national security reasons.  MWFPA and other manufacturing and agriculture organizations have called for the lifting of tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The continued application of tariffs has resulted in ongoing economic hardship for can makers that depend on imported steel and aluminum, particularly tinplate steel – a unique type of steel that is specifically made for food cans.

U.S. steel manufacturers tend not to sell a lot of tinplate.  As a result, U.S. can makers — who sell more than 20 billion cans a year for food products alone — have to import much of the tinplate they use from places such as Europe and Japan.

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