By Staff
Posted June 3, 2026 12:43 am
Updated June 3, 2026 12:44 am
1 min read
Descrease article font size
Increase article font size
The Trump administration is proposing that tariffs of 10% or more be imposed on products from dozens of major trading partners following a probe into imports of goods allegedly made with forced labour.
The report released early Wednesday by the U.S. Trade Representative said Canada, Mexico, Taiwan and the United Kingdom and some other countries would face 10% additional tariffs for allegedly failing to enforce a forced labour import ban.
1:59
CUSMA trade talks: U.S. wants autos to be 50% American-made
A 12.5% additional tariff would be imposed on China, Japan, India, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland and dozens of other countries.
Story continues below advertisement
“The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labour is unacceptable. This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field,” USTR Ambassador Jamieson Greer said in a statement.
Get daily National news
Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.
He added that “each of our trading partners must do more to ensure that trade does not perversely encourage and entrench forced labour globally.”
The new tariffs would not take effect immediately. They are subject to public comment and review.
The investigation into alleged failure to prevent imports of goods allegedly made by forced labour was conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The strategy would enable U.S. President Donald Trump to skirt limits on his tariffs imposed by the Supreme Court.
More on Economy
More videos
The report defined forced labor as “work or service exacted from a person under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily.”
The Supreme Court ruled in February that Trump had overstepped his authority by using a different law – the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977 – to impose sweeping tariffs on U.S. trading partners.
2:00
Ottawa sends mixed signals surrounding security concerns as Chinese EVs enter country
Previous Video
Next Video
© 2026 The Canadian Press
