Proposed U.S. tariffs may significantly impact Canadian artists and craftspeople.
The U.S. administration has announced plans to impose an additional 50% tariff on a wide range of Canadian goods.
While these tariffs are not currently in effect and could still be changed or withdrawn, the published list is a serious concern for Canada’s craft and visual arts communities.
The list includes:
- Paintings, drawings, pastels and collages
- Original prints and lithographs
- Sculptures and jewellery
- Textiles, wood products and other handmade works
- Raw furskins, fur products, hides and skins
- Bone, whalebone, horn, antler, hooves, claws and beaks
These are not simply unusual product categories.
Fur, hide, bone, horn, antler and other natural materials are used within many Indigenous cultural and artistic practices.
Threatened tariffs on these materials – and the works made from them – could disproportionately affect Indigenous artists and makers, particularly those in Northern and remote communities.
Such measures disrupt livelihoods, cultural production and the transmission of knowledge.
Canadian makers are already been navigating:
- Tariff uncertainty
- stricter customs requirements
- higher shipping costs
- disruptions to cross-border sales.
Even before implementation, the threat of another major tariff adds further uncertainty for artists, businesses, galleries, and buyers.
The Canadian Crafts Federation / Fédération canadienne des métiers d’art has been working on cross-border tariff issues for more than two years.
We are reviewing the announcements and product lists closely. Should these measures come into effect, we will update our tariff toolkit and continue advocating for meaningful support for Canadian craftspeople, visual artists and Indigenous makers.
Current CCF/FCMA tariff information and resources:
https://canadiancraftsfederation.ca/resources/tariffs/
CBC coverage:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-canada-us-trade-tariffs-cusma-usmca-9.7276973
U.S. proclamations and full product list:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamations/
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ANNEX-I-3.pdf