On Wednesday, Canada removed certain products from the list of retaliatory tariffs against imports from the US, lifting restrictions on seafood and fish. This occurred just one day after Canada announced tariffs on American goods worth approximately $20 billion.
The Canadian Ministry of Finance stated in an X post that the changes were made following feedback to prevent economic losses, specifically by excluding seafood and fish products from the counter-tariff list.
This decision followed warnings from some Canadian seafood processors, who rely on lobster imports from the US, that the imposed tariffs could increase operating costs. Furthermore, local fishermen expressed concerns that this measure might provoke further trade retaliation from Washington.
Canada is applying retaliatory duties equivalent to recent US tariffs after the US introduced new 50% tariffs on Canadian imports on Saturday. Notably, the US did not specifically target the fishing and seafood sectors.
The statement also emphasized that ongoing work is being done with Canadian industries to assess the effectiveness of these measures, giving priority to sectors affected by US tariffs. These Canadian tariffs will take effect on September 8.