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A United States senator said U.S. President Donald Trump will lift some tariffs on Canadian exports as the trade war with Canada becomes a ballot box issue in key races ahead of November’s midterm election.
Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, said nine categories of Canadian exports will be exempted from tariffs, including corrugated paper, plastic boxes and several types of machinery important to her state’s agricultural industries.
“Many of our farmers and growers rely on specialized equipment, packaging materials, and other products from Canada that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense,” Collins said in a media statement Friday.
Collins said the tariff exemptions are for products crucial to Maine’s agricultural industries, including blueberry, potato, apple and seaweed producers.
The White House and the United States Trade Representative’s office have not yet responded to a request for comment.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to Collins’ announcement of limited tariff relief by posting on social media, “Now get rid of the rest.”
Trump’s trade war with Canada has become a political flashpoint in states like Maine and Michigan ahead of November’s midterms.
Trump slammed an array of Canadian products with 50 per cent tariffs in August after trade talks with Ottawa broke down. The president also signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America.
Ottawa responded with retaliatory tariffs on specific American imports.
Trump again escalated trade tensions the following month by banning imports of certain Canadian goods, including motorcycles and some liquor and whey products.
Earlier this week, a U.S. food importer filed a legal challenge against the Depression-era trade statute — Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 — that Trump used to hit Canada with the heavy duties and trade embargoes.
Collins has repeatedly broken with Trump over his tariffs on Canada. Maine shares a border with Quebec and New Brunswick and relies heavily on trade with Canada.
But Trump’s unpopular policies — including his tariff campaign against Canada — have put Collins’ seat in jeopardy. Her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, has made the trade war with Canada a key issue in the tight race.
Collins has argued on the campaign trail that her behind-the-scenes advocacy has secured tariff relief, pointing to the Trump administration’s decision to lift duties on road salt and concrete.
Jackson has countered that Mainers “can’t eat road salt” and small carveouts won’t reverse the wider economic damage caused by Trump’s tariffs and trade war.
Jackson responded to his challenger’s tariff announcement Friday by saying Collins “enabled this chaos, voted to confirm the people behind it, and now wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put out the fire.”
“Mainers needed help long before Susan Collins needed saving. But apparently, families struggling to pay their bills wasn’t enough of an emergency. Her losing her job is,” Jackson posted on social media.
“We deserve a senator who stands up to Trump — not one who rubber-stamps his agenda and begs for relief from the chaos she helped create.”
Collins said she has had multiple conversations with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other Trump administration officials to ask for tariff relief.
“I will continue working directly with administration officials to seek additional relief and encourage a broader trade agreement with Canada, our neighbour, ally and largest trading partner,” she said.
While Collins has taken credit for the latest tariff relief, it could become a roadmap for other Republicans in border states trying to navigate Trump’s unpopular policies in their tight races.
The Michigan and Maine races in particular could prove critical to control of Congress. Democrats need to achieve a net gain of four seats to get the Senate majority.
Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers also recently broke with Trump over the trade war with Canada, despite previously supporting the president’s policies. He faces a tight race with Democrat candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
In a campaign ad posted on social media earlier this month, Rogers said people in Michigan “know that Canada is not our enemy.”
“We need to end this tariff war now,” Rogers said in the ad, which shows the Republican sitting at a bar and holding a Labatt’s beer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press
