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The US-Canada trade war in five charts
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Economy & Trade

The US-Canada trade war in five charts

From BBC News · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Explainer Named sources Ongoing story
  • The United States and Canada continue to impose tariffs on each other, with major sectors including steel, aluminium, lumber and automobiles affected.
  • Canada’s latest counter-tariffs target C$28 billion in US goods, with Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania among the states facing the greatest exposure.
  • Some Canadian companies are seeking customers in Europe, while Ontario manufacturing regions remain heavily dependent on the US market.

The trade dispute between the United States and Canada is reaching into factories, farms and retail businesses on both sides of the border. Washington has imposed tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminium, lumber and automobiles, while adding a 50% levy last week on about C$28 billion in Canadian goods.

dollar-for-dollar

— Government of CanadaCanada’s description of its reciprocal tariff response to US measures.

Canada has responded with what it calls “dollar-for-dollar” and “strategic” counter-tariffs. The measures cover about C$28 billion in US exports, including steel, furniture, cosmetics, farm equipment, construction equipment, laundry machines and toilet paper.

The economic burden is uneven. The US economy is larger, so the overall effect of Canada’s retaliation is expected to be less severe there. But individual states face greater exposure. Statistics Canada data cited in the report identified Ohio as the hardest hit, with C$3.2 billion, or 12%, of its exports set to face Canadian tariffs. Illinois and Pennsylvania follow.

very deliberately oriented

— Derek HoltThe Scotiabank economist’s assessment of how Canada’s counter-tariffs target US states.

The products targeted vary by state. Ohio faces pressure on steel and laundry machines. Illinois, home to farm equipment maker John Deere, faces tariffs on agricultural and construction machinery. Scotiabank economist Derek Holt said the counter-tariffs appear “very deliberately oriented” toward swing states that could influence the next US midterm elections.

The reception has been amazing.

— Matteo SgaramellaThe Outclass owner described the response to his efforts to expand into European markets.

Some Canadian businesses are trying to find customers elsewhere. Matteo Sgaramella, owner of Toronto menswear company Outclass, said he has attended trade events in Paris instead of New York and found European interest encouraging. “We’re kind of seen as the one country that’s kind of standing up to the Americans right now,” he said. Other companies have fewer options. A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report identified Oshawa, London and Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo as vulnerable because their manufacturing economies remain tightly linked to the US and have not developed enough alternative export markets.

We’re kind of seen as the one country that’s kind of standing up to the Americans right now.

— Matteo SgaramellaSgaramella explained how the trade dispute has shaped European interest in Canadian products.
About this summary

Originally published by BBC News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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