François-Philippe Champagne matched Donald Trump to the dollar Tuesday morning.
Canada will tariff $27.6 billion of American goods starting Sept. 8 — the same $27.6 billion of Canadian goods the United States hit Saturday, by the Finance Department's count — with each product's rate set to mirror the U.S. rate on the same goods. Fifty per cent on steel, aluminum, furniture, clothing, smartphones, perfume and milk products. Twenty-five on seafood, cheese and large kitchen appliances. Fifteen on air conditioners. About 700 products in all.
One outlet reported before the announcement that Mark Carney might go targeted rather than match every American dollar. Carney did both. Champagne titled his own news release "targeted countermeasures." The arithmetic still came out even.
"Ultimately, the terms proposed by the U.S. administration were uneconomic, unfair, and ultimately unacceptable," Champagne said. "They asked too much of Canada and offered too little."
Officials briefing reporters on background beforehand said the list came out of stakeholder consultation, to protect Canadian market share. Mélanie Joly said something else on camera. "We're also targeting products that will target states in the U.S.," the industry minister told reporters. "And so we're being wise and strategic to put political pressure."
Energy is not on the list. Neither is potash. Asked why, Champagne called the response "strategic" and "proportionate" — he withheld the two exports Americans cannot quickly replace.
Doug Ford said Monday that cutting Ontario's electricity exports was "on the table." "We power 1.5 million homes and businesses. Everything's on the table," the premier told the Associated Press. Ford ordered no cut. By Tuesday midday he was on CNN saying it got "a little personal" and it was time to turn down the temperature. Carney said in July, in Red Deer, that he sees no value in using energy as leverage. Trump is negotiating against two Canadas. Neither flipped the switch.
Patty Hajdu attached $7.5 billion to the counter-punch, including $3.5 billion in rapid supports for workers and temporary EI changes that waive the one-week waiting period and add 20 weeks of benefits for long-tenured workers. "U.S. tariffs can freeze our economy," Hajdu said. "That's why we're here today."
