Canada unveils $29.8B counter-tariffs on U.S.

 

Canada is hitting back at the United States with additional counter-tariffs worth $29.8 billion in response to new duties on Canadian steel and aluminum as a trade war between the two North American neighbours escalates.

The federal government made the announcement after a 25 per cent tariff imposed by the U.S. on all steel and aluminum imports from Canada and America’s other trading partners went into effect Wednesday.

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada’s new 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. eastern on Thursday and apply to steel products worth $12.6 billion, aluminum products worth $3 billion and additional imported U.S. goods worth $14.2 billion.

“With these most recent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, the U.S. administration is once again inserting disruption and disorder into an incredibly successful trading partnership and raising the costs of everyday goods for Canadians and American households alike,” LeBlanc said.

“We will not stand idly by while our iconic steel and aluminum industries are being unfairly targeted.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said these tariffs pose “an existential threat to our country” and Canada will continue to “fight back against this nonsense.”

“The only constant in this unjustified and unjustifiable trade war seems to be President Trump’s talks of annexing our country through economic coercion,” she told reporters on Wednesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump had on Tuesday threatened to double the planned metal tariffs to 50 per cent in response to Ontario’s decision to impose a 25 per cent surcharge on electricity exports to the U.S., which was retaliation for Trump imposing sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods last week.The White House on Tuesday afternoon said the steel and aluminum tariffs would go ahead at 25 per cent instead of 50 per cent after Ontario suspended its electricity tax for three U.S. states.

The new counter-tariffs from Canada add to the 25 per cent counter-tariffs on $30 billion worth of U.S. goods that were imposed last week in response to the broad-based duties. Ottawa says these will remain in place until all of Trump’s tariffs are lifted.

Confused about how we got here? Click here for a timeline of Trump’s tariff threats and trade actions.LeBlanc said the federal government will continue to press the Trump administration to fully scrap the tariffs, while also working to support Canadian businesses and workers through “these challenging times.”

On Friday, the federal government unveiled new support measures worth $6.5 billion to mitigate the impact of the U.S. trade war on Canadian workers.

Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon also announced the temporary expansion of the “work-sharing program” to let employers cut hours while keeping workers in their jobs with income support.

Canadian provinces have separately unveiled their own retaliatory measures.

On Monday, Ontario introduced a 25 per cent tax on all electricity exported from the province to Michigan, Minnesota and New York in response to the U.S. tariffs on Canadian products. A day later, the province backed down and said there would be a meeting with U.S. officials on Thursday.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said he and LeBlanc will join Ontario Premier Doug Ford for that meeting in Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, Trump has threatened more rounds of tariffs on Canada’s auto sector and Canadian dairy and lumber. He’s also threatened so-called reciprocal tariffs on all of America’s trading partners, including Canada, which are set to kick in April 2.

How will the steel and aluminum tariffs impact Canada and U.S.?

The metal tariffs are expected to impact workers and businesses on both sides of the border.

The U.S. relies on Canada for 75 per cent of its imported primary aluminum, according to the Aluminum Association of Canada.“Trump is knowingly inflicting damage to the North American manufacturing sector with these inflationary tariffs that will injure workers, eliminate jobs, and hurt consumers,” Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, said in a statement Wednesday.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said Trump’s tariffs are “proven to fail,” adding that the last time he tariffed steel and aluminum imports in 2018, it resulted in the “net loss of tens of thousands of American blue-collar jobs.”

“Steel and aluminum are about strength; these tariffs do nothing but weaken us both,” said Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.“President Trump may as well hand over North America’s steel and aluminum leadership to China.”

David Adams, president and CEO of the Global Automakers of Canada, said tariffs on steel and aluminum will only make vehicles that are built in the U.S. more costly for Americans.

“The increased price of American-built vehicles sold in Canada will make those vehicles less competitive in the Canadian market,” Adams said.Canada is not the only country being hit by the steel and aluminum tariffs.

Trump’s executive order, which kicked in 12:01 a.m. eastern Wednesday, applies to all steel and aluminum imports from America’s trading partners, with no exceptions or exemptions.

Blinkit job opening in Bengaluru sparks online frenzy

A Blinkit job opening for a Software Development Engineer received over 13,000 applications within 24 hours, sparking discussions on social media.

A job posting of the quick commute app Blinkit for the role of Software Development Engineer in Bengaluru has taken social media by storm after a user shared screenshots revealing the overwhelming response it received. According to the images posted on X (formerly Twitter), the job listing attracted a staggering 13,451 applicants in just a single day.

The post quickly went viral, with many users commenting on the intense competition in the job market. A large number of applicants were entry-level professionals, with 74% falling into this category, while 13% were senior-level professionals. The data also showed that 86% of applicants held a bachelor’s degree, while 12% had a master’s degree.

The caption read, “1 opening, 13,451 applicants.”

The overwhelming number of applications led to widespread discussions, with some users expressing concern over the growing demand for tech jobs compared to available positions.Others debated whether the high number of applications was due to economic uncertainty, layoffs, or a surge in fresh graduates entering the job market.A user wrote, “i don't think they should take it to day 2 lol”Another added, “just start ur own company, at this point you have a better chance of succeeding than getting a job.”

A third added, “I have tried to hire people, trust me when I say 50% blindly apply, 30% don't even have the right skills, 15% don't pick up your calls, 5% will reject offers in the end.”

One user wrote, “And imagine getting your resume shortlisted in this.”Another commented, “Getting a referral from someone at a higher post is someone you can do.. play smart not hard by just applying 1000s lf jobs and getting no response.”

New endometriosis pill approved

BBC Health reporters Philippa Roxby and Elena Bailey Report

The first daily pill for treating endometriosis symptoms has been approved for use on the NHS in England - but only for patients who have tried all other options.

Endometriosis affects 1.5 million women in the UK, causing pain and extreme tiredness as a result of tissue similar to the womb lining growing elsewhere in the body.

The new tablet, known as relugolix combination therapy, has been approved by drug assessment body the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and, unlike current injectable treatments, it can be taken at home.

The charity Endometriosis UK said the pill gives patients more choice, but will help only a relatively small number of people.

What are the symptoms of endometriosis?

• severe period pain that stops you from doing normal activities
• very heavy periods
• pain when you poo or pee
• other symptoms can include pain in your lower tummy, pain after sex, fatigue, shortness of breath, low mood, anxiety
• difficulty getting pregnant

The new combination therapy pill works by blocking specific hormones that contribute to the condition, while also providing replacement hormones that are needed.

It will only be available on the NHS for people who have already tried all other medical and surgical treatments and found they did not help, NICE said - equivalent to 1,000 women a year.

This includes treatments such as hormonal contraceptives and intrauterine delivery systems.

Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, said it marked "a potential step-change in how we manage endometriosis, putting control back in patients' hands while ensuring value for the taxpayer".

She said the treatment could be stopped and started more easily than other treatments, which is important for those planning to have children and for managing side effects.

That could also reduce pressure on NHS services, she added.

NICE initially rejected the drug, but new evidence was provided by the manufacturer on its effectiveness and value for money.Ami Clarke, 27, from St. Albans, started experiencing endometriosis symptoms after her very first period, aged 13.

She was not diagnosed until 10 years later - by then she had tried six different contraceptive pills to find a way of helping her pain, but nothing seemed to work.

"I came off the pill and that's when my periods became absolutely, completely unmanageable. They took over my life. I wasn't going to university, I wasn't going to work," Ami says.

"If I was going to work, I was collapsing in pain consistently every single month."

Ami kept going back to her GP because the pain was "completely unbearable".

"I was just so desperate, my mental health was on the floor. I don't even know how I survived. It was like 20 to 25 days out of the month where I was just completely bed-bound," she told the BBC.

Ami had her first surgery in October 2021, which reduced the pain for seven or eight months, but then it gradually came back. A second operation in April 2024 was not as successful. She is now trying to raise enough money to have a third surgery, privately.

Ami says it is good to hear that further treatment is being developed for endometriosis because "a lot of the time it feels like you're being left in the dark".

Usually, the first treatments for endometriosis, after pain relievers, are hormone injections which temporarily shut down the body's production of estrogen. This is the hormone that causes endometriosis tissue to grow and cause pain.

However, patients often need to travel to hospitals to have the injections, which last for up to three months.

With the new all-in-one tablet, there is no need for patients to remember to take hormone replacement therapy as a separate tablet.

It can be stopped quickly if side effects are difficult and taken up until the menopause.

"It's a step forward and will give patients more choice, but it will impact a relatively small number of people," says Emma Cox, chief executive of Endometriosis UK.

"We need to see more investment in other research and treatments," she added.

The treatment will cost £72 for a 28-day supply, NICE said.