US President Donald Trump announced on social media that he has postponed for three days the planned 50‑percent tariffs on certain Canadian imports, stating that both sides have already reached a trade agreement and are only awaiting finalization of the written documents, thus calling off the tariff imposition for now.
On July 20, President Trump signed several proclamations invoking Section 338 of the Smoot‑Hawley Tariff Act to impose 50‑percent duties on hundreds of specific Canadian goods, including wine, hockey sticks, and cement. The new tariffs were scheduled to take effect on Aug. 19 Eastern Time. In addition, previously imposed U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum, automobiles, and lumber remain in place.
The announcement of the 50‑percent tariff hike came amid growing friction between the two countries over issues ranging from wildfire smoke to a cross‑border bridge agreement. On July 19, Trump accused Canada of allowing its wildfires to affect U.S. air quality and threatened to add the cost of dealing with pollution to the tariffs on Canadian goods.
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