Toronto, August 19, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump announced late Tuesday, August 18th, that he will pause the implementation of 50-percent tariffs on a range of Canadian-origin goods for three days, posting the decision less than two hours before the crushing levies were set to take effect via a Truth Social post:
“I have paused the 50% Tariffs against Canada, that were scheduled to kick in tomorrow morning for a three day period, based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!”
The latest round of tariffs from the U.S. were originally scheduled to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time today. The tariffs would have applied to hundreds of products worth more than $28 billion, from electronics, industrial machinery, furniture, dairy products, alcoholic beverages (wine, beer, spirits), clothing, and hundreds of more products (excluding energy, potash, and critical minerals, etc.).
In a press release, Prime Minister Carney stated, “Substantial progress has been made, although there is important work still to be done. As this work is ongoing, the United States has agreed to postpone the implementation of its 50% tariff on a range of Canadian goods under Section 338 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930 until end of day, August 21.”
The tariffs, if a deal is not finalized, will likely now become effective 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on August 22, 2026.
If implemented, the 50-percent tariff will apply to the named goods regardless if those goods are qualified under CUSMA/USMCA (previous tariff actions included an exemption but not this round).
The listed goods may be found in the following (3) lists:
- List 1 (product list)
- List 2 (product list)
- List 3 (product list)
If you are unsure whether your products fall under any of the three Annexes, our US Customs Consulting Services regulatory team can help you work through the classifications. Reach out to Brian Rowe, Director, Customs Compliance & Regulatory Affairs, or your Universal Logistics representative.
