The United States has changed the list of Canadian products subject to 50 percent tariffs. Plywood, paper products, machinery and refrigeration equipment come off the list. Valves, carpets and waste products go on. The change takes effect on 30 October.
What changed on the list
The announcement came on Friday, the 23rd. The tariffs were imposed under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, the same law used in August to set the original rates. Washington had already modified the affected products once, in September.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she had requested tariff relief. She added that she would keep pushing for new exemptions and for a broader trade agreement with Canada, which she described as the country’s largest trading partner.
Politics and a Kansas plant
The move is widely read as an attempt to help Republicans ahead of the November midterm elections. Collins is running neck and neck with her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson.
Trump’s threats against Bombardier, made in September, became a political issue in Kansas. The company employs 1,500 people in Wichita. Trump has said Bombardier will invest $270 million in the United States.
Related: Gellert sues to block 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods
Source: United States
