What took effect
Canada's counter-tariffs came into force at 12:01 a.m. on September 8, on products covering CA$27.6 billion of imports from the United States. Each product carries a rate of 15%, 25% or 50%, set to match the U.S. rate on the corresponding goods.
The government's summary names the sectors it concentrated on: steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics. Goods already in transit to Canada on September 8 aren't covered.
The list works by tariff item
The published list identifies each product by Canadian tariff item and runs to hundreds of items. Electronics is one of the sector names used to summarize it, and products in the same broad category can land on different sides of the list. Check the tariff item for each product you ship against the list itself.
Country of origin decides coverage
The surtax applies to goods of U.S. origin, determined under the CUSMA marking rules, including when those goods are imported into Canada from another country. A U.S.-origin product shipped from a warehouse in Mexico is in scope, and a product of non-U.S. origin shipped from a U.S. distribution centre is not. If an affected product has a basis for relief, the remission framework is still accepting requests.
What Buyers Should Do Now
- This week: Pull every Canada-bound line and check its tariff item against the government's published list, working from the classification of each product.
- Before the next shipment: For each line on the list, confirm country of origin under the marking rules.
- Ongoing: Recheck the list whenever it's amended, and file under the remission framework where an affected line qualifies.