Will the US-Canada tariff war irrevocably damage bilateral ties?

FOR most of the post-war era, the world’s longest undefended border also marked its most integrated economic relationship. That era is now, by most honest accounts, over – or at least on indefinite pause. 

Last Saturday (Aug 22), after three days of talks in Washington collapsed, the US imposed 50 per cent tariffs on roughly US$20 billion of Canadian goods. 

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney answered with a promise to match the penalties “dollar for dollar”, and on Tuesday announced retaliatory tariffs on about US$20 billion of US imports, effective Sep 8.