U.S. Restricts Canadian Alcohol, Dairy, and Motorcycles as Trade War Escalates

Trade State of the Union: The moves follow new Canadian tariffs on U.S. goods. Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP via Getty Images On Tuesday, President Trump announced that the United States would bar the importation of some alcohol, dairy products, and motorcycles from Canada. The ban, which will take effect on September 29, includes certain beers, wines, ciders, and spirits, as well as whey products, molasses, and motorcycles. According to a senior White House official, the new restrictions are intended to “keep a level playing field, deter retaliation, and of course protect American production.” They come after Canadian tariffs of up to 50 percent on around $28 billion worth of U.S. goods—which Ottawa has framed as “counter-tariffs” responding to similar U.S. measures imposed last month—took effect earlier Tuesday. In a statement issued Tuesday night, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer described Canada’s latest tariffs as a “senseless retaliation,” and said the new U.S. trade restrictions were a “natural consequence of Canada’s continued discriminatory treatment of crucial American exports.”