Booze, tobacco, poultry and more: U.S. items to be tariffed by Canada

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OTTAWA — U.S.-made booze, tobacco, poultry, shampoos, toothpastes, motorcycles, firearms, furniture, ketchup, spices and even chocolate are about to jump in price as the Canadian government unveiled a first list of American items to be hit with 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs as of Tuesday.

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The wide-spanning list of hundreds of categories of items is the first of two waves of tariffs on a total value of over $150 billion worth of U.S. goods that Canada will be implementing in the coming weeks.

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The first wave of 25 per cent retaliatory tariffs on $30-billion worth of American-made items will kick in on Tuesday, Feb. 4, on the same day as sweeping 25 per cent U.S. tariffs will be applied on all Canadian and Mexican exports.

These tariffs will be in place as long as the U.S. tariffs against Canada remain in effect.

Here are some of the items that will cost 25 per cent more as of Tuesday if they are imported from the U.S.

• Live poultry, such as chicken, ducks, geese, turkeys and guinea fowls as well as their meat.
• Most milk, cream, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products.
• A wide range of fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, legumes, citrus (oranges, mandarins, lemons), melons, peaches and apricots.
• Coffee and tea.
• Many spices and seeds, including ginger, thyme, bay leaves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla.
• Grains such as rye, wheat, barley, oats and rice.
• Bottled water, including mineral and flavoured.
• Almost all alcohols, including whisky, beer, wine and other spirits.
• Cosmetics and toiletries such as shampoos, toothpastes, deodorants, shaving creams and soaps.
• Motorcycles and scooters.
• Firearms and cartridges.
• Home and office furniture
• Cigarettes, cigars, vapes, nicotine pouches and other similar products.

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In a background briefing for reporters Sunday, senior government officials said some of the tariffs specifically target U.S. politicians who are considered close to or have the ear of President Donald Trump.

For example, they cited orange juice and certain fruits and vegetables from Florida, Trump’s home state. They also noted household appliances made in South Carolina (represented by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham) and Ohio (home of Vice-President J.D. Vance) and motorcycles and coffee from Pennsylvania (which voted massively for Trump in the past federal election).

None of the tariffed items appeared to target companies or products sold by businessman and close Trump ally Elon Musk, though the officials suggested any such measures could still come in the second, larger round of tariffs in the upcoming weeks.

The officials also noted that the items on this first list were generally consumer items for which Canadians should have access to either local or non-U.S. alternatives.

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Surprisingly, the senior officials could not offer reporters any estimate of the adverse impact on Canada’s GDP from the combined U.S. and Canadian tariffs, saying those models were still a work in progress.

The government also intends to impose tariffs on an additional list of imported U.S. products worth $125 billion. “This second list will be made available in the coming days, for a 21-day public comment period prior to implementation,” reads a news release from Finance Canada.

“It will include products such as passenger vehicles, trucks and buses, steel and aluminum products, certain fruits and vegetables, aerospace products, beef, pork, dairy products, and more.”

In a news release Sunday, the federal government also announced a remission process that will allow Canadian businesses “to request exceptional relief from the tariffs that are imposed as part of Canada’s response to the U.S. applying unjustified tariffs on Canada.”

To be eligible for a tariff exemption, the importer will have to prove that the item cannot be sourced in Canada or from a non-U.S. source, or that the 25 per cent tariff on the item “could have severe adverse impacts on the Canadian economy.”

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During a press conference, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre repeated his call to the Liberals to end prorogation in order to debate retaliatory measures against the “unjust and unjustified” U.S. tariffs.

He also said he would support a Liberal bill that namely allows for dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs against U.S. products that can be made in Canada or bought elsewhere, redistributes tariff revenue back to affected workers and businesses and includes “massive” emergency tax cuts on “work, investment home, building energy and making stuff in Canada.”

Speaking to Americans, he questioned why their government was hitting its closest ally with a 25 per cent tariff but only targeting China with a smaller, 10 per cent tariff.

“In what strategic mindset does that make sense? If it’s to do with fentanyl, fentanyl is coming from China. It’s killing our people, too. We both have to do more to stop it, but we can do more when we do it together,” he said.

National Post

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