Bloomberg quoted a White House official, who requested anonymity, as saying that the options being discussed by the administration include raising customs duties and taking other trade measures.
The official said that an American response to the Canadian measures was expected, without specifying the nature of the potential decisions or the date of their announcement.
The American move came after the government of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced, yesterday, Tuesday, the imposition of counter duties ranging between 15 and 50 percent on a group of American products, in application of the principle of reciprocity “dollar for dollar and rate for rate.”
The Canadian measures include US imports worth 27.6 billion Canadian dollars, or about 20 billion US dollars, and target sectors including steel, dairy products, home appliances, agricultural equipment, paper and electronics.
Canadian duties are scheduled to take effect on September 8, according to the Canadian Ministry of Finance. Ottawa also announced a C$7.5 billion support package to help companies and workers affected by the trade dispute.
The Canadian response came after additional US duties of 50 percent on a specific group of Canadian products came into effect on August 22, following the collapse of trade negotiations between Washington and Ottawa.
