President Donald Trump sharply escalated his trade fight with Canada on Friday, unveiling a move that could strip billions of dollars in Canadian-made products from U.S. government purchasing channels.
In an extended post on social media, Trump accused America’s northern neighbor of running what he called a “Canadian trade scam.”
“Canada has been ripping us off for years,” Trump wrote, claiming that the Canadian government and provincial authorities have blocked American small businesses and companies from competing in public procurement markets.
“From now on, no reciprocity — no access,” Trump continued, saying he had directed the General Services Administration, or GSA, to take “all necessary steps” to remove Canadian-origin goods from its approved vendor lists under the Multiple Award Schedules program.
Trump emphasized the scale of the program, noting that those federal purchasing schedules represent more than $50 billion in annual spending.
The GSA schedules function as pre-vetted shopping catalogs for the U.S. government. Once a supplier is approved, federal agencies across the country can buy its goods or services without conducting a fresh, full-scale review for every purchase.
Because the catalogs cover more than $50 billion in supplies and services each year, removing Canadian-origin products could deal a significant blow to Canadian businesses that rely on U.S. federal contracts.
Trump also pointed to Canadian restrictions affecting certain U.S. dairy and automotive imports, framing them as further evidence of an uneven trading relationship.
President Donald Trump announced that the General Services Administration will remove Canadian products from pre-approved shopping catalogs run by the federal government
But the president left himself a way out. If Canada restores ‘full and fair reciprocity’ for American farmers and firms, he would pull back the penalty.
It’s a sign his threat could be more of a bargaining chip than a lasting policy.
Just one day prior, on Monday, Trump again flexed his presidential power to punish Canada’s premier jet manufacturer Bombardier.
The president shared in a social media post that Bombardier will no longer be allowed to sell in the US unless it manufactures here too.
‘No more selling Bombardier in the United States,’ Trump wrote on Monday. ‘If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank.”
‘Buy American. Fly on American airliners. Enjoy American liquor and beverages. Sail on Lake America,’ Trump added, noting his new initiative to rename Lake Ontario – yet another line of attack amid the burgeoning trade war.
After US-Canada trade negotiations fell apart last month, the US announced a 50 percent tariff on over $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, a rate that the US’s northern neighbor matched ‘dollar for dollar’ by levying new tariffs on American goods.
Those Canadian retaliatory tariffs went into effect on Tuesday morning.
President Trump announced on Monday that Canadian jet maker Bombardier will not be allowed to sell planes within the US unless they are made here
Trump has sparred with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney after US-Canada trade negotiations fell apart last month
Trump has announced further tariffs that will take effect on January 1, 2027, seemingly giving the two sides time to negotiate.
‘Bombardier values its great partnership with American companies and its U.S. employees,’ the company said in a statement. ‘Our plan is to continue to invest in our people, our customers, and the communities in which we operate across the country.’
About 2,188 Bombardier aircraft were registered in the United States in January, according to data. Bombardier customers operate roughly half of the company’s more than 5,100 aircraft worldwide in the United States, according to Reuters.
Already, Republicans have signaled their opposition to the White House’s latest gambit targeting Bombardier.
Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas wrote on Monday that he had contacted the administration to ‘make certain the President is aware of the significant contributions of Bombardier to Kansas and the importance of its presence in Wichita to many Kansas workers at Bombardier and in the Bombardier supply chain.’
Bombardier’s US headquarters is based in Kansas, where it also operates a major defense and flight test facility.
Its HQ employs over 1,000 Kansans while the company has roughly 3,500 American workers nationwide.
‘I will continue working to see that Bombardier’s manufacturing operations not only remain in Kansas but continue to grow and create American jobs,’ Moran’s statement continued.
‘Kansas is home to a hardworking, skilled workforce, and I will continue welcoming leaders in aircraft and defense manufacturing to do business here in the Air Capital of the World.’
Trump previously threatened Bombardier in January when calling for Canada to drop regulations on US plane manufacturer Gulfstream.
