Canada to Match Trump’s 50% Tariffs, Dollar for Dollar

Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's minister in charge of trade with the United States, exits the office of U.S.

Trade Representative Jamieson Greer after a meeting in Washington, D.C., on Aug.

20, 2026. —Mandel NGAN—AFP Trade talks between the United States and Canada collapsed Friday.

With President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs taking effect the following day, Prime Minister Mark Carney quickly responded with retaliatory measures that go into effect in September.

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Customs and Border Protection sent out guidance for importers saying that the tariffs, which Trump first announced last month, would go into effect Saturday.

They impact about $20 billion of Canadian goods, including hockey sticks, building materials, clothing, beer, and cheese.

Negotiators from both countries had worked for weeks to reach a trade deal, leading up to a three-day extension of the original tariff deadline.

At the time, Trump suggested that an agreement had been reached, writing on Truth Social on Tuesday that he had “paused” the tariffs because the two countries “have a DEAL!” But in a statement just before midnight on Friday, Carney said that “progress has not been enough to meet our objectives for Canadians.” Read more: Trump Imposes 50% Tariff Hike on Canadian Goods “As a result, this evening, I have decided to suspend trade negotiations with the U.S. and have directed Canada’s negotiators to return to Ottawa,” the Prime Minister said.

He accused the Trump Administration of introducing last-minute changes to the deal that he said were “unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal.” U.S.

Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, however, said on social media on Saturday that Canada had “declined to finalize the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier this week.” “New demands and walk backs of other commitments by Canada have upended the careful balance reached in the past days,” Greer said.

“This is a missed opportunity for Canada to partner with the United States.” Carney vowed that the tariffs would not go unanswered.

Speaking at a news conference Saturday, he announced dollar-for-dollar tariffs on U.S. goods.

“We ⁠cannot ​accept what they have offered, and ​we will not give what they have asked,” he said.