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US diplomat's inflammatory rhetoric escalates diplomatic tensions

Ambassador Pete Hoekstra's aggressive comments and potential role in meetings pushing for Alberta's separation have triggered a petition demanding his expulsion and a parliamentary review of U.S. interference, coinciding with heightened trade negotiations affected by Trump's tariffs.

Trump imposes 50% tariff on Canada, new tariffs on 80 nations

Illustration accompanying article: Trump imposes 50% tariff on Canada, new tariffs on 80 nations
  • President Donald Trump last week imposed a 50% tariff on a range of Canadian goods and across-the-board tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on goods from more than 80 countries, according to a report published Monday.
  • Trump used a never-before-invoked provision of the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act to justify the Canada tariff, citing Canada's retaliatory liquor and auto tariffs and wildfire smoke.
  • The tariffs on more than 80 nations were imposed under a trade law provision addressing forced labor, after a U.S. Trade Representative report found countries including Canada, the UK, and China were not doing enough to combat it.
  • The Yale Budget Lab estimated the tariffs will increase costs for the average U.S. household by $1,100 each year.
  • Former labor officials said cuts of more than $500 million to enforcement programs will likely worsen forced labor and child labor conditions.
 2026-07-27 · 4 MIN READ