Impact from Trump’s tariff blast is unclear

Administration lobbied to keep Canada out of steel and aluminum penalty but Trump makes no mention of exclusion

WASHINGTON — The United States will impose wide-ranging tariffs on steel and aluminum, President Donald Trump declared, prompting allies to fume, stock markets to fall and analysts to fret about long-term consequences that could rattle the international trading system. After months of suspense, the president released only the barest of details Thursday about his plans: a 25 per cent tariff on steel and a 10 per cent tariff on aluminum, numbers that in both cases were higher than had been expected. “We’ll be signing it next week,” Trump told a gathering of industry leaders. “And you’ll have protection for a long time.” Several American allies have already said they would retaliate, including the European Union. News of the tariffs sent stock markets plunging, along with the Canadian dollar. One major unknown lingers: whether Canada — the No. 1 supplier of both steel and aluminum to the U.S. — is on the hit list. Trump was known to be weighing a variety of options — massive tariffs on just a few countries believed to ship dumped Chinese steel, a quota limiting imports or a tariff on the entire world, including Canada, around 24 per cent. The penalty he announced Thursday sounded most like the latter. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland described the idea of tariffs on Canada as “absolutely unacceptable.” “Should restrictions be imposed on Canadian ... products, Canada will take responsive measures to defend its trade interests and workers.” The drama started with the Trump administration unsheathing a weapon rarely used in the trade world: a so-called national security exception. American law allows the president to order tariffs if it’s declared a matter of national security. Trump technically has until next month to make a decision. But he had already made clear he was itching to pull the trigger on tariffs. U.S. news reports described a vigorous battle within the White House between the free-traders and the protectionists who share the same impulses as the president. The issue appeared to split the president from prominent Republicans. He drew condemnation not only from the establishment wing of his party, including powerful senator Orrin Hatch, but also from anti-establishment conservatives, like Mark Meadows, who leads the right-wing caucus on Capitol Hill. Trump has received multiple pleas to spare Canada. The Pentagon even published a letter urging him not to target allies.