briefly
- Donald Trump threatened to rename Lake Ontario as a commerce dispute with Canada worsened.
- Canada introduced 15 to 50 per cent counter-tariffs to guard its home employees and industries.
United States President Donald Trump is contemplating altering the identify of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” because the commerce struggle between the USA and Canada intensifies.
“The USA is giving critical consideration to altering the identify of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we do not count on to doing a lot enterprise with Ontario any longer,” Trump wrote on social media. Ontario is Canada’s most populous province and is house to the nation’s auto trade.
The risk is harking back to the Republican president’s unilateral motion in 2025 by govt order to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
The combative rhetoric between the 2 nations has escalated, with Trump telling Canadian leaders Tuesday to “fall in line” or face penalties “far WORSE” than present tariffs.
Your trusted supply for staying up-to-date with the world round you. Get free each day information updates and evaluation, straight to your inbox.
He additionally threatened new 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian autos, automobile elements and metal, whereas Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney mentioned US commerce calls for confirmed that Washington wished to “destroy our main industries”, together with automobile manufacture, metal and aluminium.
Canada hits again at US tariffs
On Wednesday, Canada introduced counter-tariffs on US items, ranging between 15 and 50 per cent, intensifying the commerce struggle between the traditionally shut allies.
Ottawa’s retaliation will take impact on 8 September, a timeframe that Carney had earlier outlined after Trump’s 50 per cent duties got here into impact on Sunday.
The steep US tariffs hit roughly US$20 billion ($28 billion) in Canadian items — about 5.5 per cent of its US exports — after commerce negotiations collapsed on the eleventh hour. A variety of sectors together with wine, furnishings, dairy merchandise, cement, clothes, fishing rods, and hockey gear are affected.
“Canada will match Washington’s new tariffs greenback for greenback with a purpose to defend Canadian employees, farmers, households, and companies,” Carney mentioned at a information convention. “We can not settle for what they’ve supplied, and we won’t give what they’ve requested.”
Beneath Canada’s deliberate response, US metal and aluminium merchandise beforehand topic to a 25 per cent responsibility will quickly face 50 per cent tariffs.
Items going through 25 per cent tariffs embrace home equipment, dairy merchandise like cheese, in addition to sure metal and aluminium spinoff merchandise. Total, these shaped about 7.3 per cent of Canada’s imports from the US in 2024.
Canada’s authorities additionally introduced a CAD$5.4 billion ($5.4 billion) assist package deal for impacted corporations and employees.
“That is an unprecedented problem imposed on Canada. However Canada will meet the second,” finance minister Francois-Philippe Champagne mentioned.
“I believe what Canadians can see this morning is that we stand united. Canada should reply, and immediately we’re, in a proportionate, focused and strategic method.”
‘We want our neighbour’
Canada and the US share one of many world’s largest buying and selling relationships, with deeply built-in provide chains throughout autos, power, agriculture and manufacturing, making a chronic commerce combat probably expensive for companies and employees on either side of the border. Companies and shoppers are caught within the center, going through uncertainty about how a lot costs would possibly improve.
Michael Howard II, proprietor of a furnishings enterprise in Warren, Michigan, instructed the Agence France-Presse (AFP) information company that the tariffs would hamper the “means for us to place meals on the desk for our household, but in addition impacts the power for us to provide again to our neighborhood.”
“To say that we do not want Canada is simply disingenuous. It is dishonest. And it is simply completely not truthful. We want our neighbour, but in addition they want us,” Howard added.
Over the weekend, Carney mentioned US negotiators sought restrictions on Canadian commerce offers with different nations on the final minute, alongside threats to Quebec tradition.
“An perspective on the negotiation desk that Canada is a subsidiary of the USA” was “not one thing we’ll settle for”, Carney mentioned.
Trump pushed again on the declare on Wednesday, writing: “I might by no means intrude with Canadians talking French! In reality, I’ve by no means even considered doing such a silly factor.”
“This lie was made up by a weak and ineffective Prime Minister in an try to achieve political help, which he has completely misplaced, from the folks of Quebec. I really like French Canadians!”
— With further reporting from the AFP and Reuters information businesses.
For the newest from SBS Information, obtain our app and subscribe to our e-newsletter.