Escalating Trade War Threatens U.S.-Canada Electric Power Sector
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By Robert Walton of UtilityDive An escalating trade war between the United States and Canada is once again threatening to ensnare the electric power sector at a time when consumers are already stretched thin.
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Washington Times BusinessUsing electricity as leverage would be a mixed bag, since provinces enjoy revenue from power exports, and Canada receives some electricity from the U.S. side. But it’s a live wild card in the trade war that erupted over the weekend and shows no sign of abating.
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The latest U.S.-Canada conflagration flared up last month when Trump said he planned to hit Canada with 50% tariffs. He complained that Canada had been unfairly restricting U.S. exports of dairy, alcoholic beverages and autos. Trump set a deadline of Aug. 19 - last Wednesday - for the two countries to reach a deal and head off the tariffs.
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FortuneThe dispute flared over the weekend after negotiations broke down, leading Trump to raise tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian imports. Canada plans to announce tariffs of its own on Tuesday, and the spiraling conflict could lead to higher prices and scrambled supply chains for Americans already aggravated at the president’s management of the economy.
BBC BusinessPublished President Donald Trump has threatened to hike US tariffs on automobiles originating in Canada, as the trade war between the two neighbours continues to heat up.
NPR EconomyThe move comes after President Trump imposed 50% tariffs on many Canadian goods and threatened more after trade talks broke down on Friday. This is a developing story that will be updated.
ZeroHedgeCanada is expected to announce retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods Tuesday after President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian goods went into effect over the weekend, with threats of more on the way.
Financial TimesCanada announces $20bn retaliatory tariffs as US trade war escalates Hundreds of US goods will face increased levies after September 8
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On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told the Associated Press that “everything is on the table,” including halting the province’s critical minerals and electricity exports entirely. The BBC reported Ford said he and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney discussed a 25% tariff on electricity to the U.S.
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Washington Times BusinessTORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press that Ronald Reagan would be “throwing up” over President Donald Trump’s trade policies and threatened to cut off electricity and critical minerals to the United States if the escalating Canada-U.S. trade fight worsens.
BBC BusinessFord also suggested that Canada should charge the US extra for its oil and gas, as well as electricity and critical minerals, adding that he will be speaking to Carney on ways to "fight back".
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“The value of electricity trade between the United States and Canada totaled $3.2 billion in 2025, 67% of which was electricity imported from Canada into the United States,” EIA analysts noted. Electricity trade between the two countries “is relatively small compared to trade in other energy sources.”
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Washington Times BusinessElectricity exports to the U.S. totaled $3.3 billion in 2025, while electricity imports from the U.S. totaled $1.4 billion, according to the Canadian government.
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Mr. Trump said the tariffs are a necessary response to trade treatment he considers discriminatory.
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The prospects for compromise looked bleak Tuesday, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reacting to new 50% U.S. tariffs on certain Canadian goods by responding in kind on about $20 billion worth of American imports, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment.
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With the breakdown threatening to harm one of the world’s largest trading relationships and clouding efforts to renew the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that Trump negotiated during his first term, experts cautioned that there’s still time to pull back from the brink of an even bigger trade war.
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BBC BusinessThe trade war also put into question the future of an existing North American trade pact, known as the UMSCA, that was signed by Trump in his first term with Canada and Mexico.
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Ford said he understood that late in the talks, Washington demanded veto power over trade deals Canada pursued with other countries, which would have violated Canadian sovereignty.
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Canadian officials said the U.S. made unacceptable demands and said their counter-tariffs would start Sept. 8.
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BBC BusinessCanadian officials have said that the US introduced last-minute demands that were "unacceptable", including a clause limiting which countries Canada could sign trade deals with.
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“Trump is escalating a trade war with Canada for his own vanity,” Michigan’s Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed said on social media, adding that his Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, is a “rubber stamp” for such policies. A third of the state’s exports go north of the border.
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Fortune“Trump is escalating a trade war with Canada for his own vanity,” Michigan’s Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed said on social media, adding that his Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, is a “rubber stamp” for such policies. A third of the state’s exports go north of the border.
National Review EconomyThe Latest Trade War Helps El-Sayed The trade war with Canada will hit Michigan particularly hard.
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Vice President JD Vance visited Maine on Monday, where he praised “our very independent friend Susan Collins” and assured voters “we’re very mindful of the fact that Maine is a border state with Canada.” He said the administration is trying to make sure Maine “gets a fair deal.”
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FortuneVice President JD Vance visited Maine on Monday, where he praised “our very independent friend Susan Collins” and assured voters “we’re very mindful of the fact that Maine is a border state with Canada.” He said the administration is trying to make sure Maine “gets a fair deal.”
Politico EconomyVance asks Mainers to vote Republican — as Trump ups the trade war with Canada Vice President JD Vance's visit marked his second to Maine's 2nd Congressional District in four months.
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Ford said Trump wants to make Canada a vassal state. “He wants to bleed out every single sector and bring them down to the U.S.,” Ford said.
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BBC BusinessHis comments appeared to catch the attention of Trump, who in a Truth Social post accused Ford of "bluster" and wrote: "Someone should get these clowns to 'fall in line' or, the consequences for Canada will be far WORSE!".
11 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 ZeroHedge In 2025, amid a previous trade dispute, Ontario enacted a 25% tariff on power exports to the U.S. The two sides eased tensions shortly thereafter, and the tariff was eliminated a day after taking effect.
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02 Bloomberg US and Canada Aluminum Groups Slam Tariffs and Point to China The US and Canada should stop targeting each other with aluminum tariffs, according to industry groups representing producers of the metal in both countries, and instead forge a common front against Chinese competition.
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03 Common Dreams We can only do this with your support. We refuse corporate ads and keep our site free for everyone because access to critical news should never depend on ability to pay. That means our survival depends on readers like you. Please donate today and help us reach our goal of raising $125,000 by August 31.
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04 NPR Economy Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the government's countermeasures would match U.S. tariffs "dollar for dollar, rate for rate," hitting U.S. exports including steel and appliances. Canada's tariffs will take effect Sept. 8, he said.
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05 Financial Times ‘Embarrassing’: US officials recoil fromTrump’s Canada attacks Deepening trade war between two long-term allies descends into insults and recrimination
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06 MarketWatch Economic Report U.S.-Canada trade war threatens to worsen inflation for both economies. Neither can afford it.
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07 Washington Times Business President Trump’s aggressive tariff policies have shrunk the U.S. trade deficit but also helped push up consumer prices — a mixed economic record that threatens to come at a high political cost for Mr. Trump and his Republican Party.
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08 Fortune Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of Democrats’ top targets this year, warned that fallout from Trump’s approach would hurt U.S. businesses and consumers.
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09 RealClearMarkets President Trump’s repeated attempts to impose tariffs have become an encapsulation of his second term. They have hurt the American economy and his own popularity. They also range from legally dubious to blatantly illegal. Read Full Article »
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10 National Review Economy Trump’s Canada Tariffs Are Not on Mission Wasn’t this supposed to be a president elected to change our relationship with China?
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11 BBC Business It comes after US-Canada trade talks collapsed late last week, with each side accusing the other of making unreasonable last-minute demands.
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