Sept. 9, 2026 — By Steve Poplar

Effective Sept. 29, the White House said the United States will ban imports of most Canadian alcoholic beverages, certain motorcycles, and some dairy products — notably whey. Most cheeses face steep retaliatory tariffs rather than a blanket ban. The move came as Canada’s counter-tariffs took effect on roughly $20 billion in U.S. goods, after trade talks collapsed last month.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “It’s about ensuring that no country can hold us hostage. And that we can live how we want to live.” He also said, “We have everything we need to pivot and prosper,” and: “That pivot will come at a cost… But it doesn’t come close to the cost of standing still.”

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs that include a 50% levy on a slice of Canadian imports tied to dairy, alcohol, and autos, and moved to shut Canadian products out of large U.S. government contracts until we have “full and fair reciprocity.” The U.S. alcohol ban follows Canadian provinces that kept American alcohol off provincial liquor shelves.

On the failed talks, Carney said, “The most fundamental issue is that the cumulative U.S. demands revealed that they wanted us to become even more reliant on them, not less.” Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said retaliation was aimed at protecting “Canadian workers, farmers, and families.”

What is on the lists

Canada’s counter-tariffs cover U.S. goods including cheese, steel, aluminum, and farm equipment at rates of 15%, 25%, or 50%. Washington’s Sept. 29 ban list covers Canadian beer, wines, whisky and other spirits, motorcycles and mopeds, and selected dairy lines including whey. Molasses and non-alcoholic beer also appear on restriction lists. Most cheeses are under steep tariffs, not a full ban.

Japanese brewer Sapporo said it will move some beer production from Canada to the United States after a 50% tariff on Canadian beer took effect.

Steve Poplar is the publisher of The Poplar Report.