U.S. President Donald Trump made good on his recent threats on Monday evening, signing orders that will impose a steep 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, including those from Canada. The tariffs are set to take effect on March 12, sparking a frantic scramble for Canada and other nations to secure exemptions from the series of trade penalties Trump has threatened – including the broad-based tariffs he has temporarily paused but still looms over North America.

(CBC News)

In the Oval Office, Trump declared the tariffs would be implemented “without exceptions or exemptions,” describing the orders as “the beginning of making America rich again.” According to The Canadian Press, the tariffs will actually go into effect on March 4, the same date that tariffs on all Canadian goods would be imposed if the agreed-upon pause between the two countries is not extended. Trump made clear the tariffs are intended to boost domestic production, even as he took a swipe at Canada by suggesting the country should become the 51st state. “All you have to do is make it in the United States. We don’t need it from another country,” he proclaimed.