By Helena Bottemiller Evich
Canadian officials soon will release a new list of U.S. products that could face retaliatory tariffs as it tries to ratchet up pressure on the United States to drop steel and aluminum tariffs.
“We will be refreshing that retaliation list shortly,” David MacNaughton, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, told reporters today. He said the list would likely be out within the next week.
The ambassador said the goal is “not to escalate anything” with the U.S. but to simply fulfill Canada’s pledge to match U.S. tariffs with “dollar for dollar” retaliation.
MacNaughton said he expects “a significant number” of agricultural products to be on the list. He said it’s too early to name specific products that could make the list but noted some in Canada have called for including products such as apples, pork and ethanol.
Tariffs on American wine also are likely to be looked at, MacNaughton said, noting that Canada is perhaps the largest market outside the U.S. for American wine.
“We do this more out of sorrow than out of anger,” the ambassador said during an appearance at a North American Agricultural Journalists meeting in Washington. “Our agricultural sector works extremely well with yours, but it’s frankly totally unpalatable for Canada to move ahead with what is an allegedly free trade agreement when, under the guise that Canada is a national security threat, the U.S. administration has imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum.”
MacNaughton’s comments suggest the U.S. and Canada are not close to resolving an intense dispute over 232 tariffs, which Canadian officials have long said should be dropped before Canada will approve the new North American trade pact.
“There are no negotiations at the present moment,” MacNaughton said, of the 232 tariff standoff. “There have been what I would describe as restating positions.”
