OTTAWA—Stock up on non-perishables and hunker down. The Great North American Trade War is upon us.For the first time in a generation, goods and services accustomed to moving freely between Canada and the United States are being constricted by protectionism. The U.S. has imposed tariffs on Canada. Canada has responded in kind.But while there’s been plenty of chatter and analysis about this, the novelty of open animosity across the world’s longest unguarded border can cloud the basic details of what’s going on.So here it is: Everything you’ve wanted to know about the Canada-U.S. trade war but were afraid to ask.Okay. Bring me up to speed. Here’s the deal. Earlier this year, the United States slapped tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from many countries around the world. Canada was given a pass for a couple months, but at the end of May, the U.S. decided to hit Canadian steel and aluminum with those tariffs. Now there is a 25 per cent tariff on steel and a 10 per cent tariff on aluminum that enters the U.S. from Canadian producers.Much like the rest of America’s trading partners, Canada wasn’t too happy about this. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to the microphone the day after the tariffs were imposed and called the situation a “turning point in the Canada-U.S. relationship.” He announced Canada’s intention to respond with tariffs of its own — not only on U.S. steel and aluminum, but a grab bag of products that ultimately included American-made maple syrup, orange juice, ketchup, inflatable boats, dishwashers, whiskies, hair lacquers, candles, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, strawberry jam, pizza and quiche, soya sauce, gherkins and more. It’s a long list.By July 1, Canada and the U.S. had imposed billions of dollars in tariffs on each other’s goods. As Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland put it: “We will not escalate — and we will not back do ...
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