U.S. import bans on select Canadian items are set to take effect this week, the latest salvo between the two countries in an ongoing trade war.
The ban is set to come into effect on Tuesday at 12:01 a.m., and will see a full import ban on Canadian-made cheese and other dairy products, as well as alcoholic beverages and Canadian-made motorcycles.
When he signed the executive orders implementing the bans on Sept. 8, Trump said the decision was in response to Canada’s own counter-tariff measures. Those Canadian tariffs went into effect earlier in the day on Sept. 8 and were in retaliation for the president’s 50 per cent tariffs on numerous Canadian goods.
Trump also said Canada hasn’t stopped discriminating against U.S. autos, dairy and vehicles so they can now block the import of certain products because it was “consistent with the interests of the United States and the public interests.”
What is affected?
Alcohol
Though a majority of alcohol in Canada is sold within the country, much of what is exported internationally is sent to the U.S.
According to a fact sheet released by the White House, dozens of products will be banned Tuesday including rye, whisky, wine, beer, vermouth, tequila, vodka and rum. Some of the products banned also include both packaged and unpackaged versions.
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The Government of Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service reports Canada exported $1.36 billion in alcoholic beverages in 2023 and 90 per cent went to the U.S. Of that number, two-thirds were for spirits alone.
Wine Growers of Canada previously told Global News about $8.3 million of wine was exported to the U.S. in 2025, 57 per cent of which was represented by ice wine alone.
Beer Canada reported $28 million in beer products was exported out of the country last year, amounting to about 10 per cent of all beer produced. The organization said the U.S. is its number one partner for exports.
Dairy
Dairy trade has been a sticking point in negotiations between Canada and the U.S., with it being among the issues brought up by American negotiators in recent negotiations.
Whey is the main focus of Tuesday’s ban on dairy, with both whey protein and other whey products being on the list. Whey is a byproduct of the cheesemaking process.
The list released by the White House also indicated both cane and invert molasses would be excluded from being imported to the U.S.
The Dairy Farmers of Canada told Global News earlier this month that the escalation of trade actions was “deeply concerning,” though did not confirm the annual value of dairy exports to the U.S. or how much would be impacted by the potential ban.
Statistics Canada reported just over $700 million in dairy exports to the U.S. in 2024, though it’s unclear how much of that would have been affected by a full ban like the one Trump has threatened.
Motorcycles
The number of items was limited, but Trump’s upcoming import bans did include one from the automotive sector: motorcycles.
Motorcycles, including mopeds, and cycles fitted with a “reciprocating internal combustion engine” that has a cylinder capacity over 800 ccs were listed on the White House’s document outlining what motor vehicles would be banned.
No signs the tit-for-tat trade war ending soon
It’s unlikely the ongoing trade war will end before the ban takes effect, with Trade Representative Jamieson Greer saying that Trump was “comfortable” with where things stood with trade talks.
Greer told CNBC that the U.S. still has “a lot of other trade” with Canada, and they’re “getting what we need” in terms of items like oil, gas and potash.
He added that Canada “periodically” comes and says they want to have a deal.
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc told Global News that Canada “maintains ongoing communications with our American counterparts.” He did not, however, say if they’ve requested a deal.
–with files from Global News’ Ariel Rabinovitch and Uday Rana
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