Canada introduced new countervailing tariffs on selected goods from the United States on September 8, 2026. Depending on the product, the additional tariff amounts to 15, 25, or 50 percent. The measure is a response to new U.S. tariffs and covers imports valued at 27.6 billion Canadian dollars.
Affected goods include, among others, steel and aluminum, dairy products, household appliances, agricultural machinery, pulp and paper, plastics, and electronics. However, the exact tariff burden does not result from a general commodity designation. The decisive factor is the Canadian tariff classification number and whether the goods qualify as U.S. origin.
For freight forwarders, this means more verification effort prior to shipment departure. A U.S. invoice address or place of dispatch in the United States does not prove the origin of goods. Conversely, goods of American origin may be subject to tariffs even if they are supplied via an intermediate warehouse or another country.
The tariffs can change existing truck traffic between industrial centers and border crossings in the short term. Buyers will attempt to find alternative suppliers, reschedule shipments, or utilize exemption and remission options. As a result, previously strong lanes may weaken, while new procurement routes emerge.
Canada has established a procedure for applications for tariff remission, for example when required raw materials cannot be reasonably sourced domestically or outside the United States. However, remission is not automatic. Until a written decision is issued, the standard tariff should be factored in.