President Donald Trump said the U.S. will lift steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico, boosting efforts to encourage lawmakers to ratify a new North American trade deal.

“I’m pleased to announce that we’ve just reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico and will be selling our product into those countries without the imposition of tariffs or major tariffs,” Trump said at an event Friday. “Hopefully Congress will approve the USMCA quickly.”

In a joint statement Friday, Canada said it will lift retaliatory duties on U.S. products as part of the deal, which will take effect within two days. Mexican Deputy Foreign Minister Jesus Seade, in a Twitter post, welcomed Trump’s removal of the duties. Both nations suggested it would open the way for their lawmakers to approve the new trade pact.

The move will lift the 25 per cent steel and 10 per cent aluminum tariffs the U.S. placed on the two trading neighbors almost a year ago in the name of national security. The decision sparked tit-for-tat duties from Canada and Mexico on U.S. farming goods and other products, and became an obstacle for lawmakers in all three nations to ratifying the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

"We have a great relationship with Canada and the Prime Minister - but they've been charging us extremely high tariffs" Trump says, as he announces they will be lifted #tariffs #cdnpoli — Richard Madan (@RichardMadan) May 17, 2019

After extensive discussions, Canada and the United States agreed to eliminate all #tariffs and countermeasures under Section 232. This is a victory for both our countries and our highly integrated steel and aluminum industries. Link to joint statement: https://t.co/tVkpK509FF — David MacNaughton (@AmbMacNaughton) May 17, 2019

As part of the agreement, the U.S. will be able to re-impose the tariffs on metals imports if not enough is done to prevent any surge of metals imports beyond historical levels. The nations have also agreed to ramp up efforts to trace where the metals have come from originally, to stop the diversion of shipments from other nations to dodge tariffs.

The enforcement system will aim to advantage primary steel and aluminum producers in the three-nation trading bloc to ensure that the metal is melted, poured or smelted regionally.

Steel Tariffs

U.S. steelmakers and aluminum producers rebounded off Friday’s lows on optimism that the measures will prevent excess supply from flooding their domestic markets.

A S&P gauge of 13 steelmakers pared losses to 2.4 per cent in New York. The index was down as much as 3.3 per cent earlier. Alcoa Corp., the largest U.S. aluminum producer, declined 1.9 per cent, after sliding as much as 2.5 per cent. Canadian producer Stelco Holdings Inc. climbed more than 11 per cent.

The tariffs have stood in the way of getting Trump’s new North American trade deal approved by Congress, and ratified in Canada and Mexico. Republican senators, led by Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa, have emphasized the urgency of approving USMCA, and the importance of removing existing tariffs and avoiding new ones.

I’ll travel to Ottawa, Canada on May 30th to meet with Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau on advancing the U.S. - Mexico - Canada Agreement (USMCA) as swiftly as possible. This is a WIN for all 3 nations! https://t.co/Bt8PDtYOF5 — Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) May 17, 2019

The “tariffs on steel and aluminum and our counter measures represented significant barriers to moving forward with the new Nafta agreement," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario in a hastily called announcement Friday. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Twitter that he’ll meet with Trudeau in Ottawa on May 30 discuss advancing USMCA.

U.S. business groups and some lawmakers praised the agreement, saying it would help farmers and gather momentum at home for the passage of the USMCA.

“This move, coupled with the lifting of retaliatory duties, will bring immediate relief to American farmers and manufacturers,” said Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “This action delivers a welcome burst of momentum for the USMCA in Congress, and we urge the administration and Congress to continue their efforts to chart a path toward its approval as soon as possible.”

Ron Wyden, a Democratic Senator from Oregon, said the tariffs had “caused real hardship, and I am glad that we can get back to the business of growing and making things in the United States and shipping them to customers in North America and beyond.”