WASHINGTON — The Trump administration imposed an import ban on some Canadian products, including alcohol, dairy products and motorcycles, at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

The move was the latest offensive in a vicious trade fight President Donald Trump has picked with Canada. Although the bans affect just a tiny proportion of Canada’s exports to the United States, they are a sign of how much the relationship between two formerly close political and economic allies has unraveled.

On Monday, U.S. officials released a notice saying Canadian products, including whey protein, molasses, beer (with or without alcohol), wine, vermouth and a variety of liquor, would be “unconditionally rejected” by U.S. Customs and Border Protection starting at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

Trump Previously Hit Canada With 50% Tariffs

The ban comes on top of 50% tariffs that Trump slapped on about 5% of Canadian goods last month, a move that prompted Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, to hit back “dollar for dollar” on a range of U.S. imports.

Stephen Brown, the chief North American economist at Capital Economics, said in a note that the import ban covered only 0.25% of Canadian exports to the United States and would have little effect on either economy. But the development called into question whether the countries would be able to resolve their trade fight and move forward with the negotiation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, he said.

The United States and Mexico have engaged in several rounds of negotiations over that agreement and could try to conclude their discussions this year. But discussions between the United States and Canada have lagged far behind.

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Trade tensions between the two nations have left the USMCA “in limbo and at risk of breaking down entirely,” Brown added.

Tensions have also spilled over into a variety of industries that depend on the tightly integrated economic relationship, from restaurants and paper mills to aluminum smelters and automotive suppliers.

Canada is the U.S.’ second-largest trading partner after Mexico and the biggest supplier of U.S. energy imports, including crude oil, natural gas and electricity. Last year, 72% of Canadian exports went to the United States, and nearly half of its imports were American.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Ana Swanson/Doug Mills

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