By Robb M. Stewart
OTTAWA--Canada has requested World Trade Organization dispute consultations over U.S. import duties on steel and aluminum products shipped from its northern neighbor.
The trade body said the request for consultations was circulated to WTO members on Thursday.
It is the second formal complaint Canada has made in a week, after the country requested talks with the U.S. after the Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on most goods imported from Canada and Mexico and added new duties on Chinese goods.
In the latest request to the WTO, Canada's government said the U.S. measures terminated the country's exemption from additional levies on certain steel and aluminum products and increased the tariffs on aluminum effective Wednesday, a move inconsistent with U.S. obligations on tariffs and trade.
A 25% tariff was imposed on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. Canada retaliated on Wednesday with a 25% levy on an additional $20.6 billion of steel, aluminum and other goods including computers and sports equipment imported from the U.S.
A 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico took effect March 4, with an exception for energy products and potash, which received a 10% tariff. Within days, President Trump suspended the tariff on autos until April 2 and made a similar decision for goods compliant with the USMCA free-trade pact. In response, Canada placed about $21 billion in tariffs on U.S. items including fruits and vegetables, appliances and liquor.
Trump on Thursday said he has no plans to pull back on the tariffs implemented on imports.
"We've been ripped off for years and we're not going to be ripped off anymore," the president said in the Oval Office. "I'm not going to bend at all--aluminum or steel or cars."
The escalation in trade tensions comes ahead of key meetings in Washington, D.C., between Canadian officials and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Write to Robb M. Stewart at robb.stewart@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 13, 2025 14:46 ET (18:46 GMT)
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