Canada tariffs changed again on Friday, October 23. A White House proclamation removes some Canadian products from the 50% tariff and adds others, according to the administration’s own fact sheet. The changes take effect October 30, 11 days before the November 3 midterm elections.
The details come from the fact sheet, CBS News, and the Associated Press report carried by NBC Boston. We have not read the full proclamation, and the sources describe the product lists a little differently, so we say which one reports what.
Which goods Canada tariffs no longer cover
The White House fact sheet lists plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery, refrigeration equipment, and certain packing crates and boxes as removed from the tariffs. CBS lists corrugated boxes, crates, plastic sacks, packing machinery, refrigeration equipment, and seaweed. The AP says it does not have a complete list.
The AP says the 50% tariffs covered about $20 billion of Canadian products and were imposed over the summer. CBS says the products were hit with 50% tariffs in late August, after trade talks with Canada failed. The fact sheet says the tariffs respond to Canada’s discriminatory treatment of U.S. commerce, and it cites Canada’s exit from a near-final trade deal and its retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion of U.S. exports.
Which goods the new Canada tariffs add
The fact sheet says the added products include certain valves, carpets, and waste products, plus others it does not name. CBS reports that shampoo, vinyl flooring, coffins, carpets, and window-unit air conditioners are newly hit with 50% duties. The AP piece says it could not tell what replaces the exempted goods. The fact sheet does not give a rate, and CBS gives no dollar amounts or duration for the new duties.
The Maine connection
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is in a tight race for reelection against Democrat Troy Jackson. Collins said she spoke with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about the toll on her state. She argued that farmers and growers hit by the Canada tariffs rely on Canadian equipment and packaging that U.S. suppliers do not offer. Her office cited wild blueberry growers, who need Canadian harvesting boxes that fit their processing equipment.
CBS adds that Collins pointed to earlier exemptions for road salt and pulp, and that apple and potato growers also use Canadian products at harvest. She said she will keep pushing for further tariff relief and a broader trade deal with Canada.
How people reacted to the Canada tariffs change
Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, called the move Trump’s “11th hour attempt to save Susan Collins’ political career.” Rep. Richard Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, called it a politically motivated stunt. Jackson has argued that Collins has not done enough to get the tariffs lifted entirely. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called Trump’s pressure for a trade deal a miscalculation, according to the AP.
What the Canada tariffs mean for prices
The AP notes that U.S. importers, not foreign countries, pay tariffs, and they must either pass costs on to customers or absorb them. For background on how that works, see our guide to how tariffs work. The goods exempted here are mostly packaging and equipment, so any savings would show up in business costs before store shelves. Gas prices are doing more to move consumer numbers right now, as our look at September retail sales shows.
Prices matter politically too. An AP-NORC poll of 2,140 adults, taken September 24-28, found that 65% blame President Trump’s policies more than outside factors for persistently high prices.
Editor’s take
This is a narrow change. It trims the Canada tariffs on packaging and equipment and raises them on a different list of goods, so it is hard to call it a retreat. What stands out is the timing and the targeting: the exemptions track what Maine growers say they need. We would watch for the full annex to the proclamation, any Canadian response before October 30, and whether the added goods show up in prices at stores. Until the complete product lists are public, treat any single outlet’s list as incomplete.
