US imposes total ban on imports of some Canadian goods worth almost $1bn

The United States on Tuesday, September 29, imposed a full ban on imports of a number of goods from Canada with a total value of almost $1 billion. The restrictions affected certain alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles and mark a new stage in the trade conflict between the two countries.

The ban came into force at 00:01 US Eastern Time. The administration of President Donald Trump announced the relevant decisions earlier in September, replacing the 50-percent tariffs that had been in effect for some Canadian products with a complete halt to imports.

The restrictions particularly affected certain types of Canadian alcohol, dairy products including whey, as well as some motorcycle models. According to estimates by American experts based on 2025 data, the value of the affected imports is about $967 million. More than 87% of this amount is accounted for by alcoholic beverages.

The White House explains the measures by claiming that Canada maintains discriminatory restrictions against American producers of alcohol, dairy products and automobiles. The American administration invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which allows additional tariffs and import restrictions in response to trade discrimination by another country.

The current ban was preceded by a series of reciprocal trade measures. In the summer, the United States imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Canadian goods worth tens of billions of dollars. In response, the Canadian government announced mirror tariffs of 15%, 25% and 50% on American goods totalling 27.6 billion Canadian dollars.

Canadian countermeasures cover, among other things, steel, dairy products, household appliances, agricultural equipment, paper products and electronics. Ottawa calls the American tariffs unjustified and states that it will simultaneously help affected businesses and seek new export markets.

At the same time, the scale of the current American ban is relatively small against the backdrop of total trade between the United States and Canada, which amounts to about $880 billion a year. However, the decision increases tensions between the countries and complicates negotiations on the further functioning of the USMCA agreement, which ensures duty-free trade for a significant portion of goods in North America.

The Guardian also reports on the entry into force of the new restrictions.