Canada Counter-Tariffs Take Effect

New CBSA guidance turns the counter-tariff announcement into entry instructions

Effective September 8, Canada imposes surtaxes on scheduled U.S.-origin goods at 15%, 25% or 50%. The covered trade is approximately C$27.6 billion and spans selected steel and aluminum goods, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, plastics and electronics. The original policy was announced in August; today’s operative change is the entry into force of the orders and CBSA’s detailed customs guidance.

The test is origin—not the country of shipment. The goods must be eligible to be marked as U.S. goods under CUSMA marking rules, and the surtax can apply even when they are exported to Canada from a third country. CBSA says commercial and casual goods are covered. Goods marked as originating in Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa or the U.S. Virgin Islands are outside this definition.

The surtax is calculated on value for duty and is additional to customs duties and trade-remedy duties. GST is calculated on the value for tax plus applicable customs duties and surtax. Chapter 98 and 99 goods are generally excluded unless their tariff item appears in Schedule 4. Postal, courier de minimis and remission thresholds do not by themselves remove the surtax.

Goods already under carrier control and bound for Canada before the effective date may qualify for the in-transit exception, but the importer must keep supporting transport records. For steel and aluminum goods already in transit on or before September 8, the new increase does not apply, although the prior 25% surtax remains. CBSA assigns code 25095A to that transit treatment. Duties Relief and Duty Drawback may be available subject to the published conditions, and origin proof can be an invoice or other document containing the minimum CUSMA data elements.

See the CBSA 2026 surtax notice, the updated steel and aluminum notice, and Finance Canada’s authoritative product list.

OFAC blocks a wider Iran aviation network and suspends standing authorizations

On September 8, Treasury announced action against 36 targets, including 27 Iranian airlines and third-country procurement and logistics actors. Property and interests in property of blocked persons in U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and the restriction also reaches entities owned 50% or more, directly or indirectly, by one or more blocked persons.

OFAC also indefinitely suspended authorizations covering certain overflight payments, aircraft safety transactions, bunkering or emergency repairs, and transactions involving non-U.S. airlines operating U.S.-origin aircraft under General License J-1. General License DD allows only the wind-down of transactions formerly authorized under sections 560.522 and 560.529 and GL J-1 through 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 23, 2026. Aircraft-safety requests formerly covered by section 560.528 will instead be considered case by case. A separate GL 37 gives the same September 23 deadline for limited wind-down dealings with three newly blocked logistics companies.

Official materials: Treasury release, OFAC action page, suspension notice, and General License DD.

Walk-behind mower orders on China and Vietnam are revoked retroactively

Commerce revoked the antidumping duty orders on certain walk-behind lawn mowers and parts from China and Vietnam and the countervailing duty order on the same merchandise from China. The notice is published September 8 but the revocation is effective July 13, 2026, because no domestic interested party filed a substantive response in the sunset reviews.

Commerce will instruct CBP to terminate suspension of liquidation for subject entries made on or after July 13. Earlier entries remain suspended and continue under the deposit and administrative-review framework. Importers should therefore split entry populations by date instead of treating the publication date as the cutoff. The written scope controls; the notice identifies HTSUS 8433.11.0050 as the typical classification, with possible entries under 8407.90.1010 or 8433.90.1090.

Commerce revocation notice, 91 FR 57132

Brazil brass-rod review preliminarily assigns Termomecanica 22.07%

Commerce preliminarily calculated a 22.07% dumping margin for Termomecanica São Paulo S.A. for the December 1, 2023–May 31, 2025 review period. This is not yet a new cash-deposit rate: a revised rate would follow only after final results. The current all-others rate for companies not otherwise covered remains 22.78%.

Final results are generally due within 120 days unless extended. Case briefs are due within 21 days of publication and hearing requests within 30 days. Importers should not overwrite broker or landed-cost systems with the preliminary number.

Preliminary results, 91 FR 57134

Semiconductor investigation ends by settlement—no exclusion order issued

The USITC declined to review an administrative law judge’s order terminating Investigation 337-TA-1443 in full based on settlement. The case concerned certain foreign-fabricated semiconductor devices, products containing them and related components; all remaining respondents were direct or indirect TSMC customers.

The practical result is closure of this investigation, not an import ban. The Commission issued no exclusion order or cease-and-desist order.

USITC termination notice, 91 FR 57161

Twelve governments signal restrictions on trade in settlement goods

Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom jointly said they intend to introduce national restrictions, support European restrictions, or are actively considering measures on trade in goods with Israeli settlements. The statement says the United Kingdom, France and Canada will bring forward national measures.

Joint statement published by Global Affairs Canada