Trumps Canada Tariff Claims Debunked: A Low-Tariff Reality

Key Points

• • President Trump inaccurately claimed that Canada is "one of the highest tariffing nations" globally.
• • The World Bank data reveals Canada had a lower average tariff rate (1.37%) than the US (1.49%) in 2022.
• • Canada ranked 102nd out of 137 countries for trade-weighted average tariff rates, with Bermuda having the highest at 29.52%.
• • Trump emphasized high dairy tariffs in Canada (over 250%) but did not mention they only apply after the US surpasses a sales quota.
• • Most US trade with Canada is tariff-free, and Canada does not impose tariffs on the majority of US goods.
• • Experts criticized Trump's claim as misleading, emphasizing that Canada is generally a low-tariff country.
• • Trump threatened to impose higher tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum in response to Ontario’s electricity surcharge, which was later suspended.
• • Trump has made multiple false claims about Canada, including a fabricated $200 billion trade deficit.
• • Polls show that the idea of Canada becoming the 51st US state is overwhelmingly unpopular among Canadians.
• • Trump also falsely stated that Canada prohibits US banks from operating there, despite many US banks having a presence in Canada.
• • His claims about Canada being threatened by Russian and Chinese ships were also debunked, as Canada is not surrounded by these military vessels.
• • Canada's defense spending is estimated at 1.37% of GDP, contradicting Trump's claim of less than 1%.