Updated September 16, 2026 @ 6:22pm
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an memorandum Wednesday directing federal agencies overseeing government procurement in the United States to remove all products of Canadian origin.
The move is the latest escalation of the trade war by the Trump administration after negotiations between Canada and the United States broke down last month.
The presidential order points to Ottawa's "Buy Canadian" policy, which was launched, along with similar actions by some provinces, after the president targeted Canada with tariffs and threats of annexation.
It said Canada has "unreasonably imposed new barriers to United States companies seeking to access the Canadian government procurement market."
"My Administration will always act to combat such unreasonable or discriminatory practices," the order said.
The order said the United States Trade Representative will monitor for circumstances that may require the "need for further action." It said the department will also inform the president if Canadian items could be returned following "a change in policy by the Canadian government that would end the current treatment toward United States origin items."
It was not immediately clear what would be affected by the procurement policy. Trump's order said the move would affect access to goods the United States agreed to cover at the federal level under the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement, amounting to over $280 billion annually.
The General Services Administration says its "award schedules" are long-term governmentwide contracts that negotiate set prices for goods and services with specific suppliers. When a federal department or agency or a state or local government needs something, they can opt to choose from the pre-approved list at those set prices and avoid a new procurement process.
Trump first threatened to remove all Canadian-origin products from the federal government's awards schedules in a post on social media last week.
"That is not reciprocity, it is a Canadian Trade Scam," Trump's post said of the Buy Canadian rules.
The Buy Canadian policy was implemented in December 2005 in response to U.S. trade restrictions. It prioritizes Canadian companies in large federal purchases, requires the use of Canadian steel, aluminum and wood in major federal construction and defence projects, and restricts non-defence contracts to Canadian companies or international firms from countries which offer the same access to Canadian businesses.
The United States also has a "Buy America" policy that prioritizes domestic purchasing in key sectors. Former Democrat president Joe Biden implemented an array of protectionist procurement rules that Trump has since kept in place or expanded.
On Sept. 8, Trump signed executive orders to completely bar imports of certain Canadian goods, including motorcycles, some dairy products and alcoholic beverages, later this month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2026.
