Trump bans Canadian alcohol, dairy and motorcycles and sets 50% tariffs on other goods Trump signed five executive orders banning certain Canadian alcohol, dairy, motorcycles and other products as of Sept. 29 and adding 50 per cent tariffs on other goods. Canada has retaliated with its own tariffs as the two countries escalate a trade war. U.S. President Donald Trump signed five executive orders Tuesday night banning imports of certain Canadian alcohols, dairy products, motorcycles, whey products and molasses as of Sept. 29. The orders also add 50 per cent tariffs to a further list of Canadian goods, with newly tariffed items taking effect Sept. 15. The moves came hours after Canada's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods took effect just after midnight. Prime Minister Mark Carney warned Canadians of tough times ahead in a national video address, saying 'this is about our livelihoods.' He said Canada's pivot away from the United States will come at a cost, but the alternative would be far worse. Canada has answered Trump's 50 per cent tariffs on nearly $28 billion in Canadian products with counter-tariffs targeting roughly 700 products from the United States, including dairy, plywood and sunscreen. The new U.S. tariff list covers a separate group of Canadian goods, including certain dairy items, paper and wood products, aluminum products, furniture and mattresses.The proclamations also remove U.S. tariffs on salt, toilet paper, refined lead and fishing rods. Formal trade negotiations with the United States are 'not taking place,' Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said. Dominic LeBlanc's comment came after trade talks fell apart last month. A senior Trump administration official told reporters that Washington opted for outright bans instead of tariffs because some Canadian provinces banned American alcohol in provincially run stores.The official estimated the import ban would affect single-digit billions of dollars in Canadian goods.'These are things that we are doing in order to level the playing field, defend American production and take action against one of the only countries on the planet to retaliate against the United States,' the official said. Earlier Tuesday, Trump directed the General Services Administration to remove Canadian-origin products from federal procurement schedules. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote 'No reciprocity, no access,' saying Canada and its provinces had shut American small businesses out of government procurement markets.The GSA preferential purchase program handles roughly $50 billion US in procurement each year, but only 58 Canadian companies were granted contracts through it in 2024-25. Several provinces, including Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario, have imposed new restrictions on their own procurement contracts since the trade conflict began. Canada's counter-tariffs include 50 per cent duties on U.S. milk and cream, 25 per cent on fresh cheese and curd, and 25 per cent on softwood lumber including pine, fir and spruce.Steel and aluminum products face a 50 per cent tariff, up from 25 per cent, covering rods, bars, sheets, prefabricated bridges, towers, scaffolding, and door and window frames. Tariffs also apply to U.S. beauty products, including perfumes, sunscreen, lip and eye makeup, manicure and pedicure preparations, and hair products. Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said Washington has not communicated with Canada through official channels about Trump's threat to block Bombardier jet sales in the United States.Trump made that threat Monday on social media, pointing to Canada's delay in certifying certain Gulfstream jets and claiming U.S. banks are not allowed to operate in Canada. Jeffrey Bloodworth, a history professor at Gannon University, said Trump's latest moves are a way to control the headlines.'We're not talking about Iran. We're talking about a trade war, and Trump sees this as helping his political numbers, because it has in the past,' Bloodworth told CTV News Channel. He called the GSA ban low-hanging fruit and said the administration appeared to be shooting from the hip rather than pursuing a specific strategy, other than to saber rattle.Separately, Canada and the European Union are working to build a new alliance covering trade, security, supply chains and critical raw materials, according to Bloomberg. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce the plans at her state of the union address in France on Sept. 16.