Canada is hitting back at America in the oddest trade war yet. From flamethrowers to manatee meat, the Canadian government has crafted a peculiar list of tariffs seemingly designed to mock President Trump rather than seriously impact the U.S. economy.
At a glance:
- Canada has imposed 25% tariffs on over 6,200 U.S. products, targeting Trump allies
- Unusual items include flamethrowers, false beards, manatee meat, and live monkeys
- Nearly 1,800 items were hit with tariffs in March, with 4,400 more scheduled for April
- Experts suggest the extensive list is “padded” to create optics rather than economic impact
- Canada is purchasing anti-tariff billboards in Republican states, some mistakenly including French text
Canada’s Bizarre Tariff Strategy
In what appears to be more political theater than economic strategy, Canada has slapped retaliatory tariffs on thousands of American products. The Carney government is targeting $30 billion worth of U.S. goods with a 25% tariff, but the list reveals a strange collection of items that very few Canadians actually buy.
The tariffs began with 1,800 American products in March, but there are plans to implement an additional 4,400 in April. These were introduced in direct response to the Trump administration’s tariffs on Canadian imports, which have prompted boycotts of US goods north of the border, and vacation cancellations by Canadian tourists.
Targeting The Absurd
The Canadian tariff list includes bizarre items like flame-throwers, false beards, church bell cases, and live monkeys. Other obscure products include manatee meat, passenger drones, explosive bird-scaring devices, and even spaceships.
Canada Slaps Tariffs on Flamethrowers, Manatee Meat, Fake Beards, and Live Monkeys in Response to Trump https://t.co/ugA1YOKurA
— Steve Ferguson (@lsferguson) April 1, 2025
Professor Ian Lee of Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business questioned the strategy: “Why would you list such a plethora of small, obscure products? I think it’s being driven by the need to produce visible optics, and so they can say, ‘Look, we’ve got 6,200 items, we’re really going at this, we’re really sticking it to Donald Trump and the Americans’.”
The tactic raised some eyebrows among trade experts who note these products amount to virtually nonexistent imports. University of Regina Economics Professor Jason Childs pointed out the obvious: “I will say, manatee meat isn’t something we can make ourselves, but I don’t think it will create too much of a backlash from Canadian consumers.”
Questionable Impact And Propaganda Campaign
The Canadian government has escalated its response beyond tariffs, purchasing billboards in Republican-voting states and Washington D.C. The advertisements claim Americans will suffer without Canadian imports, a message critics say exaggerates Canada’s importance to U.S. consumers.
In an embarrassing oversight, some billboards mistakenly included French text, a language not widely spoken in most American cities. The blunder further undermined what seems to be more of a public relations campaign than a serious economic countermeasure.
Meanwhile, both countries continue preparing for potential fallout from escalating trade tensions, with businesses and consumers increasingly concerned about price impacts on more meaningful goods.
