While Canada and the US continue to negotiate a new economic and security agreement, Canada announced that it will eliminate its 25% retaliatory tariffs on certain USMCA qualifying goods as of September 1, 2025 in an effort to deescalate trade tensions and keep bilateral talks moving forward. The announcement follows a meeting between Prime Minister Carney and President Trump on trade and security. Prime Minister Carney also expressed hope that the USMCA review, scheduled for…
On September 10th, Baker McKenzie’s Global Trade Practice will host a webinar in which a panel of our trade and customs experts from around the world will share their insights on the global state of tariffs as well as how to manage customs requirements and mitigate risks across the supply chain, providing practical advice to help you navigate these complexities. Topics to be covered include: The webinar will take place at 10:00 EDT / 15:00 BST…
Canada announced further protections for its domestic steel industry, expanding the application of a 50% surtax on certain steel goods initially implemented on June 27, 2025 (Steel Surtax) and introducing a 25% surtax on all imported steel products (with the exception of the US) that contain steel melted and poured in China. The Steel Surtax was introduced following a public consultation to address the risk of steel trade diversion from third countries to the Canadian…
As mentioned in our US customs team’s blog post, on July 10, US President Trump announced 35% tariffs on imports from Canada. The new tariffs are scheduled to commence on August 1. Current US tariffs on Canada include 25% tariffs on Canadian origin goods excluding US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) qualifying goods, 10% tariffs on energy products and potash, 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum goods and derivative products, and 25% tariffs on automobiles and parts. The…
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued its bi-annual update to its trade verification priorities this week. These priorities provide notice to Canadian importers of the goods and customs programs which will be targeted by CBSA’s compliance crosshairs throughout the remainder of 2025. Several goods remain subject to the CBSA’s 2025 trade verification priorities for their 2nd, 3rd and 4th round. While the verification priorities under tariff classification and origin announced in January remain static, the CBSA has not…
As Canada and the US celebrated their respective anniversaries of confederation and declaration of independence last week, we revisit the last few weeks of US-Canada trade-related headlines and breakdown their significance for Canadian and US businesses. While other US trading partners stare down the US administrations’ August 1 “reciprocal” tariff deadline, Canada is focused on inking a new trade and security deal prior to July 21. Canadian and US businesses should take note of…
On the evening of June 29, 2025, Canada announced it would cease collections of its digital services tax (DST) that was otherwise due the following day and would rescind the Digital Services Tax Act (DSTA), after President Trump’s threat to suspend bilateral trade talks. Prime Minister Carney and President Trump have each confirmed that they will resume negotiations with a view toward agreeing a trade deal by July 21, 2025. What is the DST? The…
Canada now faces tariffs on Canadian-origin goods issued by two major trading partners: the United States and China. On March 8, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural and seafood products in response to Canada’s Fall 2024 implementation of a 100% surtax on Chinese origin EVs and 25% surtax on Chinese origin steel and aluminium products. China’s retaliatory tariffs follow its conclusion of an anti-discrimination investigation against Canada that was initiated…
President Trump signed an executive order on February 1, 2025 (“Executive Order”), imposing long‑anticipated tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“US Tariffs”). Canada retaliated swiftly by implementing retaliatory tariffs; however, both sets of tariffs were paused for 30-days while the US and Canada negotiated whether the tariffs would come into force. Despite Canada undertaking extensive measures to secure its border, the US implemented the US Tariffs at 12:01 AM EST on March…
Baker McKenzie’s Canadian international trade and customs team is publishing a series of articles reviewing 2024 trade and customs compliance developments and looking ahead to 2025’s burgeoning issues. This article focuses on Canadian legislative and enforcement developments in combatting forced and child labour. Before we dive into Canada’s commitments to combatting forced and child labour, here is an overview of the current state of politics in Canada, which includes a discussion of the legislative powers…