Trump bans Canadian alcohol in new trade war salvo

Trump bans Canadian alcohol in new trade war salvo. AFP Published September 9, 2026 Updated September 9, 2026 11: 23am.

Key points

• On Monday, Trump threatened to try to block sales of Canada's Bombardier Aviation unless the Quebec-based plane maker moves manufacturing to the United States.
• I'm going to fight to keep Bombardier's more than 1, 200 Kansas jobs.
• The two Republican senators representing Kansas remarked they had conveyed their worries to the White House.
• Responding to the latest Canadian levies, Trump pledged to restrict Canadian firms from securing US administration contracts.
• Contracts through such schedules account for more than $50 billion a year, Trump continued.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated his trade war against Canada, banning imports of alcohol and various products and raising tariffs on others, with the conflict showing no sign of abating.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stood firm, acknowledging that reducing economic ties with the United States would come at a cost but saying the benefits would outweigh the pain.

Meanwhile, a range of Canadian products, from mattresses to motorboats and golf carts, will be subject to a 50 per cent surcharge beginning September 15, according to Trump's executive order issued late on Tuesday.

Notably, the import ban, which targets various alcoholic beverages as well as some dairy products like whey, will come into effect on September 29, according to other executive orders issued meanwhile.

Canada's retaliatory tariffs came into effect earlier on Tuesday, applying to $20 billion in US imports, including steel and aluminium products and dairy goods such as cheese, in response to duties confirmed by Washington on August 22.

Canada has "everything we need to pivot and prosper, " Carney remarked in a video address.

"That pivot will come at a cost. There's always a cost to action. But it doesn't come close to the cost of standing still."

In a social media post earlier on Tuesday, Trump remarked he was directing office-holders "to remove Canadian-origin products from GSA's Multiple Award Schedules, " referring to a General Services Administration program for long-term contracts.

In response, the aerospace firm pointed to its creation of tens of thousands of jobs throughout the United States, with direct employment in more than 20 states, including Kansas, Texas, Arizona, and California.

Notably, the two Republican senators representing Kansas remarked they had conveyed their worries to the White House.

"I'm going to fight to keep Bombardier's more than 1, 200 Kansas jobs. I've already taken that concern inside the Oval Office, " Senator Roger Marshall posted on X, with similar comments posted by Senator Jerry Moran.

US tariffs pose a modestly negative risk to Canada's overall economy, but analysts note that they have a sharper impact on central Canada's manufacturing sector.

I don't believe in escalating the conflict. That's not constructive, Carney remarked in his video statement on Tuesday. But our tariffs are necessary to protect our workers, protect our firms, and protect our communities.

"This is about who we are as Canadians." Reacting to Trump's move, Canada's minister in charge of trade with the United States, Dominic LeBlanc, remarked late on Tuesday that Ottawa was "assessing the latest tariff measures." Negotiations between the two sides broke down on August 21 after days of meetings in Washington.

As well as unacceptable "threats" to the French language and "Quebec culture." Ottawa and Washington have not resumed negotiations since, at the time, Carney remarked US negotiators had introduced restrictions on Canadian trade deals with other countries at the eleventh hour.

On Sunday, Trump posted an illustration of himself towering over Carney as they played ice hockey, with Trump saying, "Get up, governor, " a reference to his determination to turn Canada into another US state.

As "Lake America, " sparking fury in Canada against the backdrop of a broader wave of patriotism triggered by the US president's hostility, trump additionally signed an order in August to rename Lake Ontario, on the border with Canada.

Although Carney is backed by Canadian public opinion, his country remains reliant on its neighbour. Almost 60pc of Canada's imports come from the United States, and concerning 70pc of its exports go to the US market.

To support businesses and workers, Canada's administration has unveiled an aid package worth $5.4bn.

In short, trump bans Canadian alcohol in new trade war salvo is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.