During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly announced plans to impose a 50% tariff on copper imports. “Today we are doing copper,” Trump told reporters in the room, adding, “I believe the tariff on copper, we are going to make it 50 per cent.” His statement was confirmed by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who said the president would sign an official proclamation within a day or two, with the new tariffs expected to take effect by late July or August 1.
“The goal is to bring copper production back to the U.S.,” Lutnick explained during an interview with CNBC.
In response, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office stated that Carney would not issue a statement until the executive order is signed and more information becomes available. The announcement has sparked concern across Canada’s copper industry, which could face major disruption if the tariff is implemented. The situation mirrors earlier U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum exports, which also stand at 50%.
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Canada exported $9.3 billion worth of copper and copper-related products in 2023, according to Natural Resources Canada. The United States was the top buyer, purchasing more than half of the total.
Trump’s move is widely seen as part of a broader strategy to stimulate domestic copper production. While the U.S. isn’t expected to completely replace imports right away, the tariffs could trigger significant investment in U.S.-based production facilities. Sung Choi, a metals and mining analyst with BloombergNEF, noted that past tariffs on steel led to major new investments in American infrastructure.
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“If the administration guarantees a price premium over global copper prices, that could encourage foreign smelters to consider building capacity within the U.S.,” Choi said.
He added that while expanding domestic smelting could happen in a few years, opening new copper mines would take closer to a decade. Copper’s importance to high-tech and green industries — such as electric vehicles, which use four times more copper than traditional gas-powered cars — may explain its strategic priority for the Trump administration. Data centres, solar panel producers, and plumbing and construction sectors would also be directly impacted.
In Canada, the potential fallout could be widespread. British Columbia and Ontario are the leading copper-producing provinces, accounting for roughly 46% and 44% of national output, respectively. However, refined copper is mainly produced in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, while Quebec also processes recycled copper in smelting facilities.
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