Trump says 25% tariff on most Canadian goods will take effect March 4

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will end a month-long pause and slap a 25 per cent tariff on most Canadian goods as of March 4, claiming he needs to take action because "drugs are still pouring into our country" despite evidence that a crackdown at the border is working.

Trump said in a social media post Thursday that fentanyl imports are killing people and the U.S. "cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA" and he will levy a 25 per cent tariff on Canada "until it stops, or is seriously limited."

He also says his threatened reciprocal tariffs on specific goods set to come into effect in April "will remain in full force and effect."

The commitment comes after a week of chaotic messaging from the president.

Trump told reporters Monday that the tariff pause he negotiated with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be lifted next week and the 25 per cent levy on Canadian goods will go into effect because the country is supposedly ripping off the U.S.

Then, on Tuesday, White House staff told reporters the president was referring to other promised trade action in those remarks and the 25 per cent universal tariff (or 10 per cent on energy products) is still subject to some negotiations.

Trump was definitive on Thursday — and he's back to linking this trade action to drugs.

"Proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled," he said.

Trudeau said Canada is preparing to strike back at Trump if he goes ahead with these "unjustified tariffs."

"Canada will have an immediate and extremely strong response, as Canadians expect," Trudeau told reporters at an unrelated news conference.

Canada is expected to revive its plan to retaliate against Trump by slapping levies on $150 billion worth of American goods the moment the president's threatened tariffs take effect.

"If tariffs get brought in it's going to be hard on Canadians and Canadian businesses — it will also be hard on Americans and American businesses, which is a point we're busy making south of the border every chance we get," Trudeau said.

Despite Trump's claims, data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released earlier this month shows there has been a significant decrease in fentanyl seizures coming from Canada.

The CBP registered a 97 per cent drop in January compared to December 2024 — evidence, the Canadian government says, that its $1.3-billion border security package is already bearing fruit.