WASHINGTON — U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says Canada is to blame for Washington’s decision to escalate the trade war with its northern neighbour. President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed new executive orders, ramping up retaliation after Canada imposed its latest set of counter duties on the United States. The five new orders, which will take effect later this month, will completely bar imports of certain Canadian goods, including motorcycles, some dairy products and alcoholic beverages. But the orders also exempted some Canadian products from being tariffed altogether, including toilet paper, road salt, and cement. In a statement on X Tuesday, Maine Senator Susan Collins said she was appreciative of the Trump administration’s flexibility as she continued to press for a trade resolution with Canada. “I mentioned in a letter to the Administration that Frenchville, a small Maine town on the Canadian border, would incur $10,000 in extra costs for road salt, threatening the town’s ability to provide municipal services,” wrote Collins, a Republican. “These additional exemptions follow Canada’s announcement that it will carve out American seafood and fish products from its retaliatory tariff list, which would have caused significant harm to Maine’s lobstermen.” Collins said tariffs on forest products were still in place and would lead to higher costs in Maine. “I urge the Administration to continue to work to de-escalate this conflict,” she said. Greer says the escalation was a “natural consequence” of Canada discriminating against American exports and choosing “senseless retaliation” over a near-final trade deal. He says Trump plans to defend the interests of American workers and exporters, and restore reciprocity in bilateral trade relationships. Prime Minister Mark Carney has warned that Canada’s pivot away from the United States will come at a cost, but that the alternative would be far worse. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2026. The Canadian Press
