New Chamber Resources Released as Trade War Intensifies

New Chamber Resources To Help Businesses Navigate U.S. Trade War

The Huron Chamber of Commerce has expanded its trade support resources with the launch of a new Guide to Canada’s September 8 Counter-Tariffs and a new U.S. Trade War Hub on the Chamber website.

Canada’s Counter-Tariffs

s.338 Affected Products

The new guide serves as a companion to the Chamber’s previously published Guide to the U.S. Section 338 Tariffs. Together, the two resources help businesses assess tariffs affecting Canadian exports to the United States and goods being imported into Canada from American suppliers.

Both guides are available to Chamber members and other businesses across Huron County:

• Download the Guide to Canada’s September 8 Counter-Tariffs
• Download the Guide to the U.S. Section 338 Tariffs
• Visit the U.S. Trade War Hub

“Our members are dealing with a trade environment that can change in a matter of hours, while the tariff schedules themselves contain hundreds of lines of technical codes,” said Colin Carmichael, Executive Director of the Huron Chamber of Commerce. “As part of our broader role in supporting local businesses, we’re working to make timely information and practical resources easier to access as companies assess the changing trade environment.”

Two guides covering both sides of the border

The new Guide to Canada’s September 8 Counter-Tariffs organizes more than 800 affected tariff items by product category. It includes the Canadian tariff code, a more specific product description and the applicable tariff rate.

The guide is designed to help businesses identify American products that may become more expensive when Canada’s new tariffs take effect. This may be particularly important for manufacturers, agricultural businesses, retailers, contractors and other companies that purchase American equipment, components, materials or finished goods.

The Chamber’s existing Section 338 Guide performs a similar function for Canadian goods entering the United States. It helps exporters search the American tariff schedule and determine whether their products may be subject to the additional 50 per cent U.S. tariff that took effect on August 22.

The U.S. Trade War Hub brings both guides together with information about other U.S. tariffs, government assistance programs, trade negotiations and the Chamber’s research into the effects of tariffs on Huron County businesses.

The guides are intended as practical screening tools. Businesses should confirm the classification and origin of individual products with their customs broker, supplier or the appropriate border agency before making purchasing, exporting or pricing decisions.

Trade negotiations collapse and tariffs escalate

The new resources have taken on greater urgency following the collapse of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations on August 21. The United States had postponed its Section 338 tariffs for three days while the two countries worked toward an agreement that was expected to reduce some U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and automobiles. The two governments offered different accounts of why negotiations failed. In his August 21 statement, Prime Minister Mark Carney said last-minute changes to the American terms were “unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal.” The U.S. government maintained that Canada introduced new demands late in the negotiations.

With no agreement in place, the United States imposed an additional 50 per cent tariff on approximately $27.6 billion in Canadian goods on August 22 under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. The affected products extend well beyond dairy, alcoholic beverages and motor vehicles, covering items such as salt, cement, furniture, clothing, paper products, electronics, machinery, agricultural products and sporting equipment. The tariffs apply even when goods qualify under CUSMA and sit alongside separate U.S. tariffs affecting Canadian steel, aluminum, copper, automobiles, automotive parts, softwood lumber and non-CUSMA-compliant goods.

On August 25, the Government of Canada announced matching counter-tariffs on $27.6 billion in U.S. imports. The Canadian countermeasures will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on September 8, with products subject to rates of 15, 25 or 50 per cent. The list includes steel and aluminum products, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, plastics, electronics, furniture, clothing, fish and seafood. Existing Canadian counter-tariffs on U.S. automobiles will remain in place.

Support for businesses and workers

The federal government also announced $7.5 billion in new and expanded support for tariff-affected businesses and workers.

The package includes an additional $1.5 billion for the Regional Tariff Response Initiative, delivered through regional development agencies such as FedDev Ontario. The funding is intended to provide small and medium-sized businesses with financing and other assistance, including support for immediate liquidity pressures.

A further $500 million will be added to the Business Development Bank of Canada’s Pivot to Grow program. The minimum revenue requirement for businesses applying to BDC tariff-related programs will also be reduced to $1 million.

The package includes another $2 billion for the Canada Strong Diversification Fund and $3.5 billion in worker and employer supports. These measures include temporary Employment Insurance flexibilities, workplace training investments and a new Worker Retention and Retraining Program.

Daniel Tisch, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the business and worker supports while emphasizing the need to consider the effects of counter-tariffs on Canadian companies and supply chains.

“Businesses recognize the need for a strategic response to U.S. trade actions, but any countermeasures must be carefully calibrated and developed in consultation with industry,” Tisch said in an Ontario Chamber statement.

The Huron Chamber of Commerce is committed to helping its members understand and respond to the continuing trade war. The Chamber will keep its guides and U.S. Trade War Hub current, identify new support programs, share important developments and advocate for the needs of Huron County businesses as conditions change.

Any Chamber member or local business that needs help understanding its tariff exposure, finding available programs or identifying the appropriate source of support is encouraged to contact the Chamber directly at huronchamber.ca/connect/.