The final list of which American goods will face new tariffs in retaliation for steel and aluminum levies announced last month by the Trump administration is expected to be made public on Friday morning.
Global News has confirmed Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland will be in Hamilton on Friday to make an announcement related to tariffs, which is anticipated to present the final list of American goods set to be hit with 25 per cent and 10 per cent tariffs worth a total of $16.6 billion and which are set to go into effect on July 1.
She is also expected to reveal the details of the federal government’s plan to support Canada’s tariff-targeted steel and aluminum industries.
READ MORE: Freeland says tariffs on steel, aluminum represent U.S. ‘putting its thumb on the scale’
The tariffs come in retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump imposing tariffs of those same amounts on Canadian steel and aluminum on May 31.
Her announcement will take place at 11 a.m. at Stelco, a steel factory in the city.
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More than 140 American-made goods ranging from whiskey to washing machines, along with steel and aluminum, were included in a preliminary list last month.
Freeland then launched a consultation period to seek input on whether the expansive list should be adjusted to minimize harm to Canadians.
The European Union and Mexico, both targeted by the same tariffs on their steel and aluminum, put their retaliatory tariffs into effect immediately.
Trump has threatened to impose significant new tariffs on auto parts and cars if Canada implements the retaliatory tariffs.
Those, as well as the steel and aluminum tariffs, are based on accusations that the import of foreign goods in those industries poses a “national security threat” to the American sectors, despite the reality that Canadian and American manufacturing chains are closely interconnected.
In the case of the auto sector, vehicles cross the border roughly six times during the manufacturing process.
Freeland has repeatedly warned that the imposition of both steel, aluminum and auto tariffs would hurt American workers just as much as those in Canada.
Many of those American workers in the targeted industries are located in states that voted for Trump in the last election.
With files from the Canadian Press.
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