President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he plans to impose 50% tariffs on Canadian goods, saying it is in response to Canada’s “discriminatory treatment of American products.”
Trump signed three Proclamations pursuant to Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose these tariffs on Canada’s auto, alcohol and dairy industries. These tariffs will not apply to energy, potash, products subject to tariffs under Section 232, and certain other goods, such as fish or critical minerals, according to the White House’s fact sheet.
It does note the tariffs will apply to all covered goods regardless of whether a good originates under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which the United States chose not to renew for another 16-year term.
Since the start of his second term, Trump has repeatedly announced imminent tariffs, only to delay, reduce or cancel them altogether. Although the Supreme Court ruled against many of the sweeping tariffs Trump announced April 2, 2025, and forced some refunds, the administration continues to look for ways to implement similar import taxes.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney defended his country’s trade actions in a statement on Trump’s latest tariffs, asserting that Canada has “merely matched” the tariffs and trade policies imposed by the Trump administration.
What is a tariff? What are reciprocal tariffs?
A tariff is a form of tax imposed on imports from another country.
Tariffs create more demand for domestic manufacturers, but those companies are also part of the global supply chain and therefore also impacted by tariffs, experts have previously explained to USA TODAY.
Reciprocal tariffs are calculated as the tariff rate necessary to balance bilateral trade deficits between the U.S. and each of our trading partners, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Economic experts have said that determining reciprocal tariffs can be extremely complicated, with many variants for each market.
Are proposed tariffs going to affect Floridians?
It depends. Economists say the hit to most Americans’ budgets is likely to be limited, unless they buy targeted goods affected by the new duties, according to USA TODAY.
Although Canada is the United States’ second-largest trading partner, those exemptions limit this round of tariff impacts to about 5% of the $382 billion in Canadian imports to the United States recorded in 2025, according to Brian Therien, a senior analyst at Edward Jones.
However, these tariffs target homebuilding materials, so a 50% tariff could raise the cost of some key inputs and make an already tough process of building new homes in the United States more expensive, according to James Knightley, chief international economist at Dutch bank ING.
What items are impacted by new tariffs?
The White House released an 18-page list of hundreds of Canadian imports that will be affected by the new 50% tariff, such as:
When do the new tariffs go into effect?
The tariffs are scheduled to go into effect on Aug. 19, 2026.
However, Carney has signaled he is open to negotiations, so the final rate and scope could still change, according to USA TODAY.
Contributing: Rachel Barber, USA TODAY
Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, theme parks, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Trump announces 50% tariffs on Canadian goods. Will it impact Florida?
Reporting by Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Fort Myers News-Press
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By Samantha Neely, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
