Trump says he will impose 50% tariff on copper

By John Paul Tasker – CBC News

U.S. President Donald Trump said he will announce a 50 per cent tax on imported copper on Tuesday — adding to the growing list of punishing tariffs that are causing economic dislocation in Canada and around the world.

Trump said the tariffs are coming during a cabinet meeting at the White House.

“Today, we’re doing copper,” he said, after listing a number of other tariffs the U.S. has instituted. “I believe the tariff on copper, we’re going to make it 50 per cent.”

Canada is a major exporter of copper to the U.S. — American data suggest it’s the second-largest foreign supplier after Chile — and a 50 per cent tariff will make it more expensive for U.S. importers to bring in the metal.

According to federal data, Canada exported some $9.3 billion worth of copper and copper-based products in 2023 with a majority of that — 52 per cent — going to the U.S. China and Japan followed, with 17 and 12 per cent of Canadian exports respectively.