Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 9
Canada Signs 20-Plus Deals to Double Non-U.S. Exports by 2035 as 50% U.S. Tariffs Bite
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 9

Canada Signs 20-Plus Deals to Double Non-U.S. Exports by 2035 as 50% U.S. Tariffs Bite

2 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 9

Summary

  • Canada has signed more than 20 trade and security deals and secured about $12 billion in commercial agreements as it pushes to double exports beyond the U.S. by 2035.
  • The drive accelerated after President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on many Canadian products this summer, while Ottawa's countertariffs on about $20 million of U.S. imports took effect Tuesday.
  • Trade is already shifting: non-U.S. exports rose more than 14% in 2025, while exports to the U.S. fell nearly 8%; goods sent outside the U.S. made up about 28% of total exports last year.
  • The U.S. still took 72% of Canada's $556 billion in goods exports in 2025, and economists say replacing deeply integrated cross-border supply chains, ports and business ties will take years or decades.
  • A broader Canadian pivot could eventually raise costs for U.S. businesses and consumers by increasing competition for Canadian materials, even as experts expect the U.S. to remain Canada's largest market.

Insights

Will Canada's multi-billion dollar port expansions and new Asian trade pacts truly break its historic economic reliance on the US?
Could the urgent push to ship resources overseas backfire by creating severe environmental and logistical bottlenecks at Canada's expanding ports?