Trump Unsure When 10% Tariff on Canada Takes Effect
Nearly two days after Donald Trump announced on social media that he was raising “the Tariff on Canada” by 10 per cent, the U.S. president has yet to clarify which tariffs will increase — or when the new measures will take effect.
Asked aboard Air Force One on Monday when the tariffs would begin, Trump replied, “I don’t know when it’s going to kick in… we’ll see.”
Canadian officials say they’ve received no official notice from Washington about any tariff changes, despite the president’s post sparking a diplomatic scramble in Ottawa.
Triggered by Ontario ad
Trump’s sudden announcement followed his fury over an Ontario government advertisement that used excerpts from Ronald Reagan’s 1987 speech defending free trade.
The ad, which aired in the U.S. during the World Series, criticized tariffs and trade protectionism — messaging Trump called “fraudulent.”
“Reagan liked tariffs, and [Ontario] totally changed that,” Trump claimed, falsely suggesting the late president supported tariffs on allies like Canada.
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on Nov. 5 in a case challenging Trump’s authority to impose broad-based tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and other countries. The president has called it “the most important case ever.”
Refuses meeting with PM Carney
Trump also said he has no plans to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney at the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea, despite both leaders attending.
“I don’t want to meet with him,” Trump said. “I’m very happy with the deal we have right now with Canada, and we’re going to let it run.”
It remains unclear what “deal” Trump was referring to. Senior officials had been negotiating tariff relief for Canadian steel and aluminum exports before Trump abruptly called off talks.
White House frustration grows
White House officials suggested the Ontario ad was only one factor behind Trump’s decision to escalate trade tensions.
“The Canadians have been very difficult to negotiate with,” said Kevin Hassett, director of Trump’s National Economic Council.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS’s Face the Nation the ad amounted to “propaganda crossing our border,” but declined to specify which Canadian goods would face new tariffs — or whether the hike would apply across the board.
With no clear timeline and no official documentation, analysts say Trump’s 10% tariff threat remains a political message in search of policy substance.
