President Donald Trump has decided to halt a plan to sharply raise tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports to 50 percent on Wednesday.
Trump’s reversal came six hours after he announced his plan to double the tariffs on those metals brought in from Canada in response to Ontario’s decision to slap a 25 percent tax on electricity exports to the U.S.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick issued the following statement on X on Tuesday:
President Trump’s Truth this morning made clear our position on Ontario’s energy tax. I’m glad they listened.
Here is our official statement.Today, United States Secretary of Commerce @howardlutnick and Premier of Ontario Doug Ford had a productive conversation about the…
— Howard Lutnick (@howardlutnick) March 11, 2025
President Trump’s Truth this morning made clear our position on Ontario’s energy tax. I’m glad they listened. Here is our official statement.
Today, United States Secretary of Commerce @howardlutnick and Premier of Ontario Doug Ford had a productive conversation about the economic relationship between the United States and Canada.
Secretary Lutnick agreed to officially meet with Premier Ford in Washington on Thursday, March 13 alongside the United States Trade Representative to discuss a renewed USMCA ahead of the April 2 reciprocal tariff deadline. In response, Ontario agreed to suspend its 25 per cent surcharge on exports of electricity to Michigan, New York and Minnesota.
Trump has twice postponed tariffs against Canada and Mexico, stating that he plans to initiate those tariffs on April 2. Trump has imposed additional tariffs on Chinese imports, which began on March 4. China has since retaliated against Trump’s tariffs by imposing an additional 15 percent retaliatory tax on key American farm products, including chicken, pork, soybeans and beef.
