{"id":502695,"date":"2026-02-27T08:48:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T08:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/502695\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T08:48:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T08:48:17","slug":"trumps-new-tariffs-not-hurting-canada-international-trade-investment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/502695\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump’s New Tariffs – Not Hurting Canada? – International Trade & Investment"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

MK<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Millar Kreklewetz<\/p>\n


\n <\/a><\/p>\n

More<\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n


\n \"Millar
\n <\/a><\/p>\n


\nMillar Kreklewetz LLP is a super-boutique Canadian Indirect Tax, Customs & International Trade firm, with a client base comprised of national and international leaders across all industries. In 1999, L\u2019Expert Magazine called us a Canadian \u201cbrand name\u201d for Indirect Tax and International Trade and nothing much has changed in 2024! <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n Much of the current commentary surrounding the new US tariff measures has overlooked a central point \u2013 namely, that broad-based US tariff actions do NOT apply to Canadian-origin goods that properly qualify under CUSMA. \n <\/p>\n


\n Canada
\n International Law \n <\/p>\n


\n To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com. \n <\/p>\n

Article Insights<\/p>\n

Robert Kreklewetz\u2019s articles from Millar Kreklewetz are most popular:<\/p>\n


\n with Senior Company Executives, HR and Finance and Tax Executives
\n in Canada
\n with readers working within the Accounting & Consultancy, Healthcare and Property industries <\/p>\n

Much of the current commentary surrounding the\u00a0new US tariff measures\u00a0<\/a> has overlooked a
\ncentral point \u2013 namely, that broad-based US tariff actions do
\nNOT apply to Canadian-origin goods that properly qualify under
\nCUSMA.<\/p>\n

There are certainly some exceptions like in militarily strategic
\nsectors (like steel and aluminum) and in sensitive economic sectors
\n(like automotives and lumber) but the wider narrative suggesting
\nsweeping tariff exposure for Canadian exports to the US is probably
\noverstated. We provide additional insight below.<\/p>\n

What Tariffs Currently Affect Canada?<\/p>\n

Canada has generally been subject to sector-specific US tariff
\nmeasures, including:<\/p>\n


\nSteel and Aluminum\u00a0\u2013 Section 232
\ntariffs impose 50% on steel and aluminum, including certain
\nderivatives. The reason for these tariffs is to support the US
\nsteel and aluminum domestic industries, which are view (quite
\nrightly) as militarily strategic.
\n
\nCopper\u00a0\u2013 Section 232 tariffs impose
\n50% on semi-finished copper products and copper-intensive derivate,
\nreflecting US concerns about supply security and domestic product
\ncapacity.
\n
\nWood Products \/ Cabinets\u00a0\u2013 Section
\n232 tariffs impose a 10% on softwood lumber and time and a 25%
\ntariff on upholstered wooden products, cabinets and vanities. This
\nis another industry in which the US has identified as crucial to
\nits national defence and critical infrastructure products.
\n
\nAutomotive\u00a0\u2013 Section 232 tariffs
\nimpose 25% on vehicles and auto parts, with partial relief for
\nCUSMA-qualifying content. The automotive industry has been viewed
\nas being of national economic importance dating back to Reagan-era
\ntariffs on Japanese autos. <\/p>\n

How Will Trump’s 15% Global Tariff Affect Canada?<\/p>\n

It is critical to recognize that Trump’s new 15% global
\ntariff framework is directed primarily at
\n“non-preferential” imports \u2013 namely, imports to the
\nUS that are not already covered by trade agreement.<\/p>\n

What this means is that CUSMA-qualifying goods exported to the
\nUS by Canadian businesses should remain exempt of the new global
\ntariff structure as per\u00a0section 14(l)\u00a0<\/a> of President Trump’s
\npresidential proclamation of February 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, Canadian goods that are manufactured or
\nsufficiently produced in Canada and exported under the CUSMA
\npreferential regime will NOT be subject to any duties in the US and
\nwill be FULLY EXEMPTED from the 15% global tariff!<\/p>\n

\"1751080a.jpg\"\/<\/p>\n

Are My Goods CUSMA Compliant?<\/p>\n

CUSMA’s Rules of Origin are designed to preserve North
\nAmerican manufacturing. Businesses producing goods in Canada and
\nmeeting those origin thresholds should continue to benefit from
\nduty-free treatment.<\/p>\n

Now comes the hard part: determining CUSMA qualification. One
\ngenerally finds that a proper and legally defensible CUSMA
\ncertification will require:<\/p>\n


\nReview existing certificates
\n
\nMapping inputs and supply chains
\n
\nApplying product-specific Rules of Origin <\/p>\n

While these rules are detailed and technical, Experienced
\nInternational Trade Counsel can be leveraged by businesses to
\nestablish and maintain defensible origin positions.<\/p>\n

Download a PDF copy of this Blog\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
\nguide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
\nabout your specific circumstances.<\/p>\n

[View Source] <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MK Millar Kreklewetz More Millar Kreklewetz LLP is a super-boutique…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121459,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,44],"class_list":{"0":"post-502695","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=502695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/502695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=502695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=502695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=502695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}