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ARTICLE · 04 JUNE 2018

The Maple Leaf Strikes Back: Canada Announces Retaliatory Tariffs On US Products

McCarthy Tétrault
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On May 31, 2018, the United States announced that it is imposing tariffs on the import of certain steel and aluminum products from Canada, at rates of 25% ...

CanadaInternational Law
Simon Potter
Simon Potter
John Boscariol
John Boscariol
Martha Harrison
Martha Harrison
Robert Glasgow
Robert Glasgow
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On May 31, 2018, the United States announced that it is imposing tariffs on the import of certain steel and aluminum products from Canada, at rates of 25% and 10% respectively, under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Using the power granted by this section, the Trump Administration is basing its tariff action on a finding that Canadian imports of steel and aluminum are threatening to impair the national security of the United States.

The move threatens to ignite a trade war between the United States and Canada (as well as the European Union, Mexico and others who have also been targeted). As noted by Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, this is a "turning point in the Canada-US relationship". More broadly, the questionable reliance on national security threatens the integrity of the world trading order as governed by the agreements of the World Trade Organization, NAFTA and other trade deals. These implications are addressed in our earlier client

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