OTTAWA – The federal government is set to announce Canada's final retaliatory tariff list as well as a financial aid package for the steel and aluminum industries on Friday, CTV News has learned.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains, and Labour Minister Patty Hadju will be at the Stelco steel company in Hamilton, Ont. Friday morning to make the announcement and take reporters’ questions.
International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne will be making a similar announcement at the Rio Tinto aluminum plant in Saguenay, Que., on Friday afternoon.
The ministers are expected to reveal which U.S. goods will be slapped with a 10 per cent surtax come July 1. These tariffs are part of the overall $16.6 billion Canadian countermeasures on imports of steel, aluminum, and other products from the Unites States. They are in response to the U.S. imposing a 25 per cent steel tariff and 10 per cent tariff on aluminum from Canada.
Ottawa had been consulting on the proposed list of goods, which included specific types of gherkins, prepared meals, pizza, chocolate, condiments, toiletries, beer kegs, whiskies, various household items, and motorboats.
Freeland had previously stated that the aim of the consultations was to mitigate any unintended consequences for Canadians and potentially expand or contract the final list accordingly.
Earlier this week, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said more information regarding financial support coming for Canadian steel and aluminum businesses who are impacted by the U.S. tariffs was coming soon.
In announcing the retaliatory measures late last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it "a turning point in the Canada-U.S. relationship," and expressed hope that "common sense" will prevail, despite seeing no sign of it from the U.S. administration.
"This is the strongest trade action Canada has taken in the post-war era," Freeland said at the time. "It is perfectly reciprocal. This is a very strong Canadian action in response to a very bad U.S. decision,” she said.
Since the exchange of tariffs had been announced, U.S. President Donald Trump and his officials have taken aim at Trudeau personally, as well as other Canadian industries over what Trump classifies as unfair trade practices.
