Champagne says the measure protects producers while guarding food affordability
Ottawa has moved to shield domestic canned-vegetable processors with a 10 percent import tariff and pointedly left its largest trading partner off the list.
The measure took effect Friday for a maximum of 200 days and excludes the United States, BNN Bloomberg reported.
The Finance Ministry said the measure also spares canned vegetables from Mexico, Israel, Chile and developing countries because of Canada's trade obligations, according to CBC News.
The ministry described the tariff as provisional while it waits for the Canadian International Trade Tribunal to finish an inquiry into whether rising imports are harming domestic processors.
The tribunal is expected to conclude by September 9, and the tariff will lift if it finds no adverse impact.
The statement said the tribunal "will provide recommendations on appropriate remedies if it issues an affirmative injury finding. In doing so, it will consider impacts on food affordability and security for Canadian households."
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne framed the move as a balancing act between protecting producers and shielding consumers.
The safeguard lands as Canada manages broader trade strain with the United States ahead of a July 1 renewal window for the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
US President Donald Trump said last week he is "not looking to renew" the pact, according to CBC News, though Canada's ambassador to the United States, Mark Wiseman, told a Toronto audience the agreement runs to 2036 regardless of the review's timing.
CBC News reported that steel, aluminum and autos remain hit by US duties under Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act, tariffs Wiseman said are "biting" the Canadian economy and now drive Canada's negotiating focus in Washington.
