Canada's trade war tracker · Weekly update · October 6, 2026

Oct 6: Trump in no rush to resume Canada talks as IEEPA refund Phase 3 opens

Every tariff, every counterpunch and every province, tracked independently from Canada. A new briefing every day and a site update every week.

Today's briefing →
Sources: Government of Canada, USTR, the White House, CBSA and court filings
What Canadians pay at the checkout
C$—
Since Sept 8, 2026 · about C$127 a second

Canada's counter-tariffs add about C$4B a year at the checkout (Trevor Tombe, The Hub, Sept 1, 2026). Income lost to US tariffs isn't included.

Post on X

The US taxes Canadian goods under three laws: Section 338 (50% on listed goods, about C$27.6B at launch, no CUSMA exemption; since Sept 15, stacking on top of Section 232 for goods on the alcohol and motor-vehicle lists); Section 232 (steel, aluminum, autos, lumber and more); and Section 301 forced-labor tariffs (10% on Canadian goods that don't qualify for CUSMA). Since Sept 29, Section 338 bans cover packaged Canadian alcohol; whey products, molasses and non-alcoholic beer; and motorcycles over 800cc, while listed dairy and cheeses stay at 50%. Canada's counter-tariffs (15–50% on C$27.6B of US goods, 50% on US steel and aluminum) have applied since Sept 8. Talks remain suspended, and on Oct 6 Trump said he was in no rush to resume them. IEEPA refunds: about US$122B sent to Treasury as of Sept 11; Phase 3, for court plaintiffs only, opened Oct 6.

US tariff
10%
Section 301 (forced labor)
On Canadian goods that don't qualify for CUSMA, since Jul 24, 2026, with no end date. Energy and potash are exempt
US tariff
50%
Section 338 (listed goods)
Since Aug 22, 2026, with no CUSMA exemption. From Sept 29, packaged alcohol, whey products and motorcycles over 800cc are banned instead
US tariff
50%
Steel and aluminum (Section 232)
On mill products, with no CUSMA exemption. Products made from them pay 25% (CUSMA-qualifying: on non-US content only) or 15% for some equipment
US tariff
25%
Autos (Section 232)
CUSMA-qualifying vehicles pay only on their non-US content; qualifying parts pay nothing
Canada's response
15–50%
Counter-tariffs
On 629 US tariff items worth C$27.6B since Sept 8, 2026, matching the US Section 338 tariffs dollar for dollar: 50% on steel, aluminum, furniture and clothing; 25% on appliances and dairy such as cheese
Canada's response
25%
US vehicles
On US vehicles that don't qualify for CUSMA, and on the non-Canadian, non-Mexican content of those that do, since Apr 9, 2025
Canada's response
Off shelves
US alcohol
Ontario's LCBO has kept US beer, wine and spirits off its shelves since March 2025. Other provinces vary: Alberta lifted its ban in June 2025
Next dates
Oct 28
Bank of Canada rate decision
Nov 3
US midterm elections
Nov 8
USITC Section 338 public comment period closes
Nov 17
USITC final hearing on duties on Canadian fresh mushrooms

Today's briefing

written daily by AI from cited sources; story dates are checked automatically
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Every province has a tariff story

Pick a province or territory.
Population under each code (Statistics Canada estimates).
Ontario · 16.3M people

Ontario takes the widest hit: Section 338 on electronics and machinery, 25% on autos

Ontario faces a tariff squeeze from three directions at once: 25% auto tariffs, Section 338 goods now in effect and Canada's own Sept. 8 retaliation raising costs on Ontario's US imports.

US exposure16.0% of GDP
Non-energy goods exported to the US in 2024 as a share of GDP (Statistics Canada).
Auto manufacturingSteel (Hamilton)Tech & finance (Toronto)AgricultureMining (Northern Ontario)

Canada vs the US, move by move

Oct 6
UNITED STATESOct 6
IEEPA Refund Portal Opens Phase 3 for Court Plaintiffs

CBP's CAPE refund portal opened Phase 3 on October 6, 2026. It covers finally liquidated entries for which the Court of International Trade has ordered reliquidation, and is open only to plaintiffs with pending IEEPA cases at the court. As of September 11, about $134.7B in claims had been accepted and about $122B sent to Treasury for payment. Source: CBP.

Oct 6
UNITED STATESOct 6
Trump Says He Is in No Rush to Resume Trade Talks With Canada

President Trump said on October 6 that he was 'in no rush to resume trade talks with Canada'. Canada suspended the negotiations on August 21, and no talks have been scheduled since. Sources: IANS, Local 10 (Oct 6, 2026).

Sept 29
UNITED STATESSept 29
US Import Bans on Packaged Canadian Alcohol, Whey and Big Motorcycles Take Effect

Import bans on packaged Canadian beer, wine, spirits and cider; whey products, molasses and non-alcoholic beer; and motorcycles and mopeds over 800cc took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on September 29, under Proclamations 11061–11063 signed September 8. Gateway's count of the proclamations' lists: 68 banned tariff lines (53 alcohol; 14 whey, molasses and non-alcoholic beer; 1 motorcycles). American Action Forum analyst Jacob Jensen calculated the covered goods totalled $967 million in Canadian imports based on 2025 figures, with alcoholic beverages making up roughly 87% of that value. Sources: AP (Sept 29, 2026); Gateway (tariff lines).

Sept 23
UNITED STATESSept 23
Commerce Sets Out Procedures for the Pharma Tariffs

A Commerce notice in the Federal Register (2026-19498) sets out procedures for the Proclamation 11020 pharmaceutical tariffs and renumbers their tariff lines (9903.04.60–9903.04.70). The 100% tariff on patented drugs applies from July 31 to the 17 Annex III companies and from September 29 to all others. Companies with both an approved onshoring plan and an MFN pricing agreement pay 0% through January 20, 2029; an onshoring plan alone means 20%, rising to 100% on April 2, 2030. Generics are exempt.

Sept 15
UNITED STATESSept 15
Section 338 Scope Changes Take Effect; Stacking on Section 232 Begins

Two proclamations signed September 8 took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET on September 15. They added 122 tariff classifications, by GHY International's count: specialty cheeses such as Cheddar, Emmentaler, Gruyere, Parmesan and Provolone on the alcohol list; ATVs, golf carts, motorboats, furniture, lamps and steel and aluminum structures on the 'motor vehicle' list. Rock salt, cement and some other goods were removed. Goods on the alcohol and motor-vehicle lists now pay Section 338 duties on top of Section 232 duties, up to 75% combined on some steel and aluminum structural products. No CUSMA exemption. Sources: Federal Register; GHY International; Troutman Pepper Locke.

Sept 12
UNITED STATESSept 12
Trump Says a Canada Deal Could Come 'Fairly Soon'

Meeting Irish PM Micheál Martin in Dublin, President Trump said a trade deal with Canada could come 'fairly soon', repeated that the US had been 'ripped off' for 50 years, and played down leaving USMCA. No talks were scheduled. Sources: CP24, Bloomberg (Sept 12, 2026).

CANADASept 8
Canada's Counter-Tariffs on 629 US Tariff Items Take Effect

Canada's counter-tariffs of 15%, 25% and 50% took effect at 12:01 a.m. on September 8 on 629 tariff items covering C$27.6 billion of US imports. Finance Canada says the package matches the US Section 338 tariffs dollar for dollar; counter-tariffs on US steel and aluminum rose from 25% to 50% to match US rates, and a few steel and aluminum products pay 25%. Goods already in transit on September 8 are exempt. Source: Finance Canada list of products (Aug 2026).

Sept 8
Sept 8
UNITED STATESSept 8
Trump Signs Section 338 Proclamations: Import Bans on Canadian Alcohol, Whey and Big Motorcycles From Sept 29

President Trump signed five proclamations under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (11061–11065). Three ban imports from 12:01 a.m. ET on September 29: packaged Canadian beer, wine, spirits and cider (bulk alcohol stays at the 50% duty); whey products, molasses and non-alcoholic beer; and motorcycles and mopeds over 800cc. Listed dairy such as milk and cream, and the cheeses listed Sept 15, stay at 50%. CUSMA origin gives no exemption. Goods imported but not entered for consumption before September 29 pay the 50% duty instead of the ban. The White House cited Canada's 'continued discriminatory treatment of crucial American exports'. Sources: Federal Register, White House fact sheet, Troutman Pepper Locke.

What it means for your wallet

Prices, the dollar and the checkout.
The loonie
About 71 US cents

70.7 US cents on Sept 25, 2026, down 1.5% from a year earlier (Bank of Canada). It buys less on US trips and online.

At the checkout
About C$250 a year

What Canada's counter-tariffs add for a family with kids; under C$170 without kids (Trevor Tombe, The Hub, Sept 1, 2026).

Groceries
Up 2.8% in a year

Food bought in stores, August 2026, from all causes, not only tariffs (Statistics Canada, Sept 14). US dairy such as cheese pays Canada's counter-tariff, mostly 25%.

Gas
Up 22.8% in a year

August 2026 (Statistics Canada). Not a tariff effect: Canadian oil and gas pay no US tariff, and Statistics Canada ties the rise to the conflict in the Middle East.

Buying a car
Up 2.3% in a year

Vehicle prices, August 2026, all causes (Statistics Canada). Canada's 25% counter-tariff applies to US vehicles that don't qualify for CUSMA.

Home repairs
Up 0.9% in a year

Homeowners' maintenance and repairs, August 2026, all causes (Statistics Canada). US steel and aluminum products pay Canada's 25% or 50% counter-tariff.

Selling to the US: what's banned or taxed

Look up a product on TariffCharts →
Canadian goodsUS measureSinceCUSMA exemption
Packaged beer, wine, spirits and ciderImport ban (50% Section 338 until then); bulk alcohol stays at 50%Sept 29, 2026No
Whey products, molasses and non-alcoholic beerImport ban (50% Section 338 until then)Sept 29, 2026No
Motorcycles over 800ccImport banSept 29, 2026No
Milk, cream, lactose, casein and other listed dairy50% Section 338 (not banned)Aug 22, 2026No
Goods on the 'motor vehicle' list: electronics, machinery, plastics, apparel, furniture and more (no vehicles)50% Section 338, on top of Section 232 where both apply (since Sept 15)Aug 22, 2026No
Hockey equipment and other non-alcohol goods on the 'alcohol' list50% Section 338 (not banned)Aug 22, 2026No
Goods added Sept 15: listed cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss, Gruyere, Parmesan, Gouda and more), ATVs, golf carts, motorboats and more50% Section 338Sept 15, 2026No
Steel and aluminum mill products50% Section 232Jun 4, 2025No

Since Sept 15, 2026, goods on the alcohol and motor-vehicle lists that also pay Section 232 duties pay both. Not legal advice: check a product's tariff line with a customs broker.

Don't just watch. Act.

The numbers

Open any figure for its source.
Annual Two-Way Trade
~US$872.3B
Source and context

US-Canada goods & services 2025 (USTR official data); goods $715.5B + services $156.8B; down 4.6% ($42.1B) from 2024; figures in US dollars

CUSMA-Protected
80.2% (Canada and Mexico, Jul 2026)
Source and context

80.2% of imports from Canada and Mexico claimed USMCA exemption in July 2026 (Penn Wharton Budget Model, Sept 9, 2026); Section 338 tariffs (effective Aug. 22, 2026) impose 50% duties regardless of CUSMA compliance on approximately $27.6B CAD of listed goods — scope expanded Sept. 15, 2026 (122 new HTSUS items added; Section 338 now stacks on Section 232 for the alcohol and motor-vehicle lists) — supplemented by import bans on packaged Canadian alcohol, whey products, molasses, non-alcoholic beer and motorcycles over 800cc effective Sept. 29, 2026 (listed dairy and cheeses stay at 50%); CUSMA moved to annual reviews after the US declined to renew it at the July 1, 2026 joint review

Household Impact
~C$250/yr
Source and context

At the checkout: ~C$250/yr (families), under C$170 (no kids), from Canada's Sept 8 counter-tariffs. Tombe, Sept 2026 Cost to Canada: ~C$1,700 to C$3,100 per household a year in lost income by 2029–30. Derived; the method is under “How we count” beside the checkout counter

Steel/Aluminum Tariff
15–75% (stacking since Sept 15)
Source and context

Section 232 tiered: 50% primary, 25% derivatives, 15% through 2027 on industrial, grid and farm equipment and residential HVAC (Jun 8, 2026) — no CUSMA exemption; Section 338 now stacks on Section 232 effective Sept. 15, 2026, producing combined additional duties of up to 75% on some steel and aluminum structural products; Canada retaliating at 50% on US steel/aluminum effective Sept. 8, 2026

Jobs Affected
~87,000 at risk
Source and context

About 87,200 Canadian jobs at risk from the Section 338 tariffs (Trevor Tombe, The Hub, Aug 26, 2026). Manufacturing employment was down 52,000 year over year in February 2026 but little changed year over year by August 2026 (Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey). The Sept 8–15 escalation and Sept 29 import bans are not yet modelled

IEEPA Refunds
~$134.7B accepted
Source and context

As of Sept 11, 2026, CBP's CAPE portal had accepted ~$134.7B in refund claims and sent ~$122B to Treasury for payment; ~$1.3B is held up by missing ACH details. Phase 1 launched Apr 20, 2026; Phase 2 (reconciliation entries) June 29; Phase 3 opens Oct 6, 2026 for court plaintiffs only. DOJ appealed the CIT refund order June 2, 2026; members of Congress urged CBP Sept 9 to fix processing delays

Deeper data on TariffCharts.com

Primary sources

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