Canada's New Tariffs on U.S. Goods Start September 8

Canada will charge surtaxes of 15%, 25%, and 50% on $27.6 billion worth of U.S. goods, effective from 12:01 a.m. on September 8, 2026. If you buy from U.S. suppliers, your landed cost may be about to change. Goods already in transit on that date are exempt.

What Canada is doing

Matching the U.S. tariffs, product by product. Each item's rate mirrors the U.S. rate on the equivalent Canadian good, which is why there are three rates rather than one.

Prime Minister Carney announced the plan on August 22. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne published the actual product list on August 25.

What is on the list

The list concentrates on steel and aluminum, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, plastics and electronics.

It draws from goods subject to both U.S. Section 338 and Section 232 tariffs, so it is broader than a straight mirror of the August 22 action. Steel and aluminum are the clearest example. The U.S. excluded them from its 50% tariff. Canada put them first on its list.

The list is published at the tariff-item level, and the same HS heading can appear at different rates depending on the specific item. A sector name will not tell you your rate.

Does it apply to your shipment?

Only if the goods count as U.S.-origin under Canada's country-of-origin marking rules.

That is a different test from CUSMA. A shipment can pass one and fail the other, so a CUSMA certificate does not settle the question. CUSMA preference does not exempt goods from this surtax.

Goods already on the way

U.S. goods in transit to Canada on September 8 are not subject to the surtax.

This is more generous than the U.S. side, which gave no in-transit relief at all. If you have orders landing just after the date, keep the shipping documents that establish when the goods left.

What is not settled yet

CBSA had not published its Customs Notices as of August 25. That is where the operational detail will land, including how the surtax gets reported and how you evidence the in-transit exemption.

If you use Release Prior to Payment, check your CARM financial security too. Higher duties mean higher liability, and the security you posted before these surtaxes may no longer cover you. Our CARM bonds page walks through it.

Check your codes

1. Canada tariff lookup (HS) — start by confirming the HS code on the goods you buy from the U.S. Everything else depends on getting this right.
2. Tariff Impact Checker — if you also ship into the U.S., screen those HTS codes against the active Section 301, 232 and 338 measures. Up to ten codes, free, no account.
3. USA tariff lookup (HTS) — confirm any code the checker flags.

For the U.S. side of this, see the new 50% U.S. tariff on Canadian goods.

Two weeks is enough time to screen a purchase list and reprice. Get a free duty and tax estimate with the BorderBuddy Duty, Tax and Tariff calculator, or talk to a broker if you want the origin call confirmed before September 8.