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Canadian pharmaceutical industry alarmed after Trump floats 200 per cent tariff

Jul 9, 2025 | 2:50 PM

WASHINGTON — An pharmaceutical industry representative says Canada likely isn’t the main target of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceutical imports — but his plan could still put parts of the Canadian sector in peril.

Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association president Jim Keon says there’s a risk that Canada will get caught in the crossfire as Trump pushes to reduce Americans’ reliance on drugs imported from places like China and India.

On Tuesday, Trump floated the idea of massive pharmaceutical tariffs but said he would give drug makers up to a year and a half before introducing the duties.

Keon says Canadian exports amount to less than five per cent of all generic medicines sold in the U.S.