President Trump threatened on Thursday to impose a 35 percent tariff on Canadian imports, upending negotiations between the countries that had Canada’s representatives hopeful that a trade deal could be reached
in a matter of weeks
.
Mr. Trump posted a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada
on social media
outlining his latest threat. He said the new, higher tariff rate for Canada would go into effect on Aug. 1, though it was unclear if it would affect all Canadian goods, or if he would follow through.
Mr. Trump’s letter resembled the format of letters he has sent to nearly two dozen American trading partners this week. But it differed from the others by accusing Canada of having “financially retaliated” against the United States with its own tariffs. It also raised Mr. Trump’s repeated assertion —
unsupported by U.S. and Canadian data
— that Canada had not done enough to
stop the flow of fentanyl
across the U.S.-Canada border, as well as his complaints about Canada’s high tariffs on U.S. dairy farmers.
Mr. Trump also suggested that the new tariffs were subject to further negotiations ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline. “These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country,” Mr. Trump concluded.
Tariffs of 35 percent, if applied widely, could harm Canada’s export-dependent economy, which relies heavily on the United States, its biggest trading partner.
In a late-night
post
on social media, Mr. Carney said that Canada would try to get the best deal for its workers in the talks, acknowledging the new deadline but not the fresh threat of higher tariffs.
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