MONTGOMERY, ALa. — Alabama could be among the states caught in Canada’s next round of retaliatory tariffs after Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged the Canadian government to target imports from states he described as politically important to President Donald Trump’s base of support.
Ford named Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Texas and Wisconsin in a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Ford urged the federal government to consider additional tariffs on products from those states as part of its response to new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.
“Products from these states should face the full force of Canada’s response,” Ford wrote.
The proposal does not mean Alabama-specific tariffs have been imposed. Canada’s federal government, not Ontario, controls tariff policy, and Carney had not released a final product list as of Sunday.
Carney said Canada will begin imposing retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. imports Sept. 8 after trade negotiations between the two countries collapsed. The Canadian measures are intended to match new U.S. tariffs “dollar for dollar,” Carney said.
The United States imposed 50% tariffs Saturday on about $20 billion in Canadian goods after the countries failed to reach a trade agreement. The duties affect products including some dairy goods, alcoholic beverages, clothing, cement, fishing rods and hockey equipment.
Carney said Canada’s response will focus on sectors including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics. He said details would be released in the coming days.
The dispute could carry particular significance for Alabama, where Canada remains the state’s largest export market. Alabama companies exported $4.3 billion in goods to Canada in 2025, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce.
Transportation equipment was Alabama’s largest export category last year, accounting for $11.4 billion in worldwide shipments. Canada is a major destination for Alabama transportation equipment and metal products, according to state and Canadian trade data.
A Canadian government fact sheet says transportation accounts for 64% of Alabama goods exports to Canada. The state’s leading exports to Canada include automobiles, aircraft and parts, trucks, paper and paperboard, iron and steel products, plastics and motor vehicle parts.
Alabama’s exports to Canada represented about 18% of the state’s $23.7 billion in total exports last year. Mexico, Alabama’s second-largest export destination, received about $4 billion in Alabama goods in 2025.
Ford also called on Canada to use electricity, energy and critical minerals as leverage in its trade dispute with the United States.
The premier’s request for state-focused tariffs goes beyond the sector-based approach outlined publicly by Carney. It remains unclear whether the Canadian government will adopt Ford’s proposal, which could target goods associated with individual states rather than only broad product categories.
The U.S. and Canada are each other’s largest trading partners, and the latest escalation follows months of negotiations and tariff actions between the two countries. Canadian officials have said the retaliatory measures are intended to protect Canadian workers and businesses, while U.S. officials have defended the new tariffs as part of the Trump administration’s trade policy.