Key Takeaways
- The U.S. removed 22 Canadian tariff lines from the 50 per cent surcharge and added 100 new lines.
- Thin plywood, seaweed, some paper products and packing machinery are among goods receiving tariff relief.
- Newly affected products include carpets, cocoa powder, paints, shampoos, coffins and canoes up to 7.5 metres.
A tariff list nobody could have predicted
A new U.S. presidential proclamation has reshuffled which Canadian products face the 50 per cent duty — taking 22 Canadian tariff lines off the list while adding 100 new ones.
The changes, made under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, take effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on October 30, 2026, and stack on top of the existing Section 232 duties.
Off the list: what gets relief
Canadian exporters of the following products will no longer pay the 50 per cent surcharge: thin plywood sheets (6 mm or less, with birch or walnut outer plies), some paper products, refrigeration and freezing equipment, packing crates and cartons, fresh and dried seaweed, and machinery for sorting and packing eggs and fruit.
On the list: what gets hit
The newly taxed products include carpets — 43 of the 100 new lines — cocoa powder (13 lines), paints, shampoos, wooden coffins, ice cream sticks, chest freezers, window air conditioners, archery equipment, and canoes up to 7.5 metres long.
The backdrop
The 50 per cent duties were first imposed in August on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports. Canada retaliated in September with its own duties on roughly $20 billion of U.S. goods.
The shuffle lands just four days before the November 3 U.S. midterm elections. Among those who had pressed for changes was Maine Senator Susan Collins, who pushed for relief for her state's blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed producers.
Image: AI-generated illustration — the flags of Canada and the United States.