U.S. President Donald Trump has officially signed a presidential memorandum on Wednesday aimed at identifying Canadian-made goods in federal civil government procurement and initiating steps for their removal, according to the White House. This action follows the recent ban imposed by the president on the import of Canadian alcohol, motorcycles, and various other products into the U.S. as part of the ongoing trade conflict.
The memorandum also instructs the U.S. trade representative to oversee Canada’s handling of goods originating from the U.S. in Canadian government procurement. The latest wave of U.S. tariffs on Canadian products went into effect just after midnight on Tuesday, imposing 50% tariffs on over 100 items, including specific cheeses, motorboats, ATVs, and furniture.
The trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada escalated after both countries failed to reach a trade agreement in August. On August 22, the U.S. implemented a 50% tariff on a wide range of Canadian goods, prompting Canada to retaliate with tariffs on nearly 700 categories of U.S. goods starting on September 8.
