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ARTICLE · 05 SEPTEMBER 2025

Changes To Canada's Retaliatory Tariff Regime: Key Takeaways For Importers

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Canada has made significant changes to its retaliatory tariffs on US origin goods, most notably by eliminating the 25 per cent surtax on a wide variety of US origin goods first imposed in March 2025.

CanadaInternational Law
Clifford Sosnow
Clifford Sosnow
Christopher Little
Christopher Little
Sébastien Cyr
Sébastien Cyr
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Canada has made significant changes to its retaliatory tariffs on US origin goods, most notably by eliminating the 25 per cent surtax on a wide variety of US origin goods first imposed in March 2025. Canada also introduced a number of targeted exemptions, including some that apply retroactively. However, Canadian retaliatory tariffs remain in place on US origin steel, aluminum, and motor vehicles.

These changes will have major implications for Canadian importers and may mark a shift in Canadian trade policy as economic growth cools and the 2026 Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) review draws closer. We discuss the key changes and their implications below.

Background: Canada's Retaliatory Surtax Regime

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