Update: On Tuesday afternoon, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced they would meet on Thursday, March 13 to discuss a trade agreement. In response, Ontario agreed to suspend its 25% surcharge on exports of electricity to Michigan, New York and Minnesota. Trump’s proposed 50% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum will also no longer be taking effect Wednesday.
President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada now carries the risk of widespread blackouts in states like New York, Michigan and Minnesota, an outcome the already strained American electrical systems have not prepared for.
Trump has pledged to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%, set to go into effect Wednesday, in response to Ontario’s retaliatory 25% tariff on electricity that went into effect Monday.