Canada Responds to Trump with Countervailing Duties of 15% to 50%

The duties imposed by Ottawa will come into effect on September 8, a date that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney set after the U.S. 50% duties on Canadian products took effect on Saturday. Canadian officials said on Tuesday that the new duties will match U.S. tariff levels, alongside the announcement of a $5.4 billion aid package for companies and workers hurt by the U.S. duties. Defending Quebec's culture and its French language was one of the main sticking points in the trade talks between Ottawa and Washington, according to Carney, who said he refused to make any concessions to U.S. demands. Carney condemned the demands raised by the U.S. side "in the final hours," which he described as "fundamental rights," the most prominent being a review of subsidies for Francophone culture, the role of Francophone media online, and the requirement to place bilingual labels on products sold in Canada. On the other hand, Trump said on Tuesday that he is considering renaming "Lake Ontario," which sits on the border between the two countries, to "Lake America," as the trade dispute between the United States and Canada escalates. Trump wrote on social media on Tuesday that "the United States is seriously considering renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America; because we do not expect to do much business with Ontario any longer."