Canada applies counter-tariffs, Washington announces an import ban from September 29
From September 8, Ottawa taxes hundreds of US products worth $27.6 billion. The same day the White House signs a proclamation that, from September 29, excludes certain Canadian goods from importation.
From 00:01 on September 8, 2026, Canada is applying trade countermeasures on hundreds of products from the United States. Canada’s Department of Finance indicates that the counter-tariffs affect $27.6 billion worth of US imports, with rates of 15, 25 and 50 percent depending on the goods category (Government of Canada). The list covers steel, dairy products, appliances, agricultural machinery, paper and electronics (Al Jazeera, NPR).
On the same day the White House signed an act belonging to a different family of measures. It is not a tariff: it is a ban. Canadian products listed in the annex to the proclamation cannot be imported into the United States starting at 00:01 Eastern time on September 29, 2026. For goods covered by the ban that have already been imported but not yet entered for consumption before that date, a 50 percent rate remains applicable (The White House). A tariff makes a good more expensive and leaves the choice to the buyer; a ban closes the border to it.
Where the day’s events come from
The Canadian countermeasures respond to US tariffs of 50 percent on approximately $20 billion of Canadian goods, which took effect after trade negotiations between the two governments broke down (The Hill). Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had announced in August that the response would be “dollar for dollar” and would take effect on September 8; on the outcome of the negotiation his formula was terse: “They asked for too much and offered too little” (transl. from English), words attributed to Carney (NPR).
The account is not shared. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer disputed the Canadian version of how the negotiations unfolded (The Hill). On this point the two sides say different things and none of the available sources contains the minutes: what remains is a stated divergence, not an established fact.
The Canadian countermeasures are already in effect; the US ban takes effect from September 29.
The two measures compared
| Canada | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of measure | Tariffs on hundreds of products | Import ban on products in the annex |
| Effective date | 00:01 on September 8, 2026 | 00:01 (Eastern time) on September 29, 2026 |
| Rates | 15%, 25%, 50% | 50% on imported goods not entered for consumption before the date |
| Stated basis | $27.6 billion of US imports | List annexed to the proclamation |
The difference in timing is the day’s operational fact: those importing into the United States have three weeks to determine whether their goods fall within the annex, while those exporting to Canada pay immediately.
The market context
On September 8, European stock markets closed an uncertain session, but the engine driving prices was not North American trade: oil returned close to $100 a barrel, with Brent around $98 by the end of the day, and gas rose 3 percent to €75.5 per megawatt-hour (Borse.it, QuiFinanza). The entry into force of the Canadian tariffs was recorded by market reports, not as the dominant event of the session.
What we do not know
The available excerpts do not report the list of products contained in the annex to the US proclamation, nor the value of Canadian goods that the ban removes from importation. No official Canadian reaction to the act signed on September 8 appears in the sources consulted, nor is there a schedule of new meetings between the two delegations. No estimates, from public or institutional sources, are available on the expected effects on consumer prices in the two countries.
The first verifiable milestone is September 29: from that day the list annexed to the proclamation becomes operative, and goods falling within it will no longer enter the United States.
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