White House says the US is lifting tariffs on some Canadian goods

The White House is lifting some of its 50% tariffs on Canadian goods two weeks before the midterm elections, in a move first announced by Republican Senator Susan Collins, who is fighting a tight race to keep her seat in Maine.

Starting on 30 October, tariffs will be eased on products including plywood sheets, some paper products and packing crates, the administration said. The United States imposed a 50% levy on $20bn (£15bn) of Canadian goods after trade talks between the two countries broke down, sparking a tit-for-tat trade war.

Canada answered with its own countermeasures. Last month, Prime Minister Mark Carney matched the US tariffs "dollar for dollar" after the talks collapsed. Trump had imposed the levies over what he described as unfair trade terms.

Collins said she had repeatedly pressed senior Trump officials for tariff relief and wrote on X that the exemptions covered products "crucial to Maine's agricultural industry". Maine's economy, like those of other US border states, is deeply linked to Canada and has felt the pain of the trade war.

Her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, dismissed the timing, arguing that "Trump's trade wars have made life harder" for ordinary Americans. Michigan Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers has also called on Trump to end the standoff.

Also on Friday, Trump said Canada was "working very hard" on a trade deal, while Carney said Ottawa was open to a mutually beneficial agreement but willing to wait: "We could sign it this afternoon if the US were there."

Canada's internal trade minister, Dominic LeBlanc, confirmed on Thursday that a Canadian delegation had met with members of the Trump administration.