US Expected to Lift 50% Tariffs on Some Canadian Farm and Forestry Goods; Collins Says Nine Categories Will Be Exempt

The United States is expected to remove 50% tariffs on some Canadian agricultural and forestry products, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, October 23, 2026, in a move reported to be aimed at helping Senator Susan Collins and other northern-state Republicans in the November 3 midterm elections. Collins said nine product categories, including blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed producers, will be exempted. The White House called preliminary reporting speculation and said any announcement would come directly from the administration.

Awaaz Punjab Investigations Desk23 October 20263 min readRead in all 3 languages

The United States is expected to remove the 50% tariffs on some Canadian agricultural and forestry products, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, October 23, 2026, citing people familiar with the matter, Reuters reported. The reported move comes ahead of the November 3 midterm elections and, according to the Journal, is intended to help Maine Senator Susan Collins and other Republicans from northern US states.

Source: Reuters via KWSN

Senator Collins, in a statement issued shortly after the Journal report, said that nine categories of products, including blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed producers, will be exempted from US tariffs on Canada, Reuters reported. The Commerce Department did not immediately provide a comment on her announcement. Collins is seeking a sixth term in the Senate in Democratic-leaning Maine.

The reductions could be balanced out by raising levies on other Canadian goods, the Journal report said, adding that a proclamation altering the tariffs could come as early as Friday. No proclamation had been published at the time of this report.

A White House official told the Journal that any tariff announcements would come directly from the administration and that any preliminary reporting is speculation. The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Readers should treat the exemption as reported and expected, not yet formally announced, until an official proclamation appears.

President Donald Trump said on Friday that Canada is working on a trade deal with the United States, Reuters reported, though the two countries have been locked in a standoff since talks broke down in August, triggering new tariffs and retaliation on both sides of the border.

The economies of Michigan and Maine have long been intertwined with Canada's, covering everything from auto parts to lumber to fruit-picking equipment, Reuters noted. That has raised the stakes in two states Republicans will likely need to win in the November 3 elections if they are to hold the US Senate, while Republican candidates in northern border states balance appeals to President Trump's base with the concerns of independent voters.

Sources

Reuters (Oct 23, 2026) — US to remove 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods to help Republicans in midterms, WSJ reports — https://kwsn.com/2026/10/23/us-to-remove-50-tariffs-on-some-canadian-goods-to-help-republicans-in-midterms-wsj-reports/

Wall Street Journal report as reported by Reuters (Oct 23, 2026) — expected removal, possible offsetting levies, proclamation could come as early as Friday; White House official called preliminary reporting speculation

Senator Susan Collins statement (Oct 23, 2026) as reported by Reuters — nine categories including blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed producers will be exempted