Anatomy of a Trade War: An Analysis of Canadian Retaliatory Measures and Their Economic Consequences for the United States

Recent discourse surrounding the U.S.-Canada trade relationship has been dominated by a narrative of escalating tension, culminating in claims of significant economic disruption to the United States. A central element of this narrative posits that Canada, in response to U.S. tariffs, quietly enacted a series of "seven powerful laws" designed to cripple key sectors of the American economy. This report will demonstrate that while the economic consequences for the U.S. have been substantial, the premise of a covert legislative campaign is not supported by the available evidence. The conflict was not a "quiet war" of subversive legislation but a conventional, public, and legally structured trade dispute characterized by U.S.-initiated tariffs and Canada's subsequent, strategically targeted retaliatory surtaxes.