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The United States (US) banned a broad swath of Canadian alcoholic beverages, motorcycles and dairy products from import on Tuesday, sharply escalating an already acrimonious trade spat.<\/strong><\/p>\n The import bans, which go into effect on September 29 and were \u200bpublished on the White House\u2019s website, came after Canada\u2019s own retaliatory tariffs on US goods took effect after midnight on Tuesday.<\/p>\n Those Canadian levies themselves followed 50% tariffs that the United States imposed on some $20 \u200cbillion of Canadian goods last month, after several rounds of negotiations collapsed.<\/p>\n The breakdown has widened a rift between the longtime allies, who have blamed each other for the failed talks, spurred Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to urge a further shift away from Canada\u2019s biggest trading partner, and cast doubt on the viability of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have everything we need to pivot and prosper,\u201d Carney said on Tuesday in a video posted on YouTube.<\/p>\n \u201cThat pivot will come at a cost. There\u2019s always a cost to action. But it doesn\u2019t come close to the cost of standing still,\u201d \u200bhe said.<\/p>\n The US bans appeared to cover most alcohol products, including beer and various types of wine, whisky, bourbon, rum, vodka, vermouth, tequila, mezcal, and brandy. The dairy ban covers whey protein, invert molasses, cane molasses and \u200bnon-alcoholic beer, per notices on the White House\u2019s website.<\/p>\n In addition to the import bans, various cheese products were added to a list of products subject to a 50% tariff, but not \u2060banned outright. Some paper, aluminum, wood, furniture, lighting and other products were also added to the list.<\/p>\n A US official said President Donald Trump\u2019s pre-existing threat to increase tariffs on Canadian autos from 25% to 50% on January 1 remained in effect. \u200bThe official added that US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had spoken with Dominic LeBlanc, Canada\u2019s minister responsible for bilateral US trade, over the past couple of days, and the pair were expected to speak again in the coming days to see if there \u200bwas an alternative path for the two countries.<\/p>\n In a social media post on Tuesday night, LeBlanc criticized the latest U.S. measures and said he was in contact with Greer regarding a path forward.<\/p>\n \u201cAs has been the case for the last 18 months, our first priority remains on protecting and supporting Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses from these unjustified actions,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Ottawa\u2019s retaliatory measures, which in turn provoked Washington\u2019s move on Tuesday night, were designed to put economic and political pressure on Washington, Canadian government officials said.<\/p>\n Those counter-tariffs cover some $20 billion of US goods, with \u200bduties ranging from 15% to 50% across products from steel and furniture to clothing and electronics, and are expected to hit sectors in some competitive states such as Michigan and Ohio, ahead of US midterm elections in November.<\/p>\n While the tariffs affect a \u200bsmall amount of exports compared with total trade between the US and Canada, some analysts worry the standoff could destabilize the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the free-trade pact that succeeded NAFTA. Together they have underpinned commerce across North America for decades.<\/p>\nOTTAWA STRIKES BACK<\/strong><\/h2>\n