Daniel Wolfram
As the trade war rages on between the US and Canada, the consequences are starting to mount in unexpected places.
Goods like toilet paper are everyday essentials that are a must in a home.
Trade talks between the United States of America and Canada have fallen through and have become an all-out trade war.
That may cost the American people a lot of money in a place they least expect: the toilet.
Toilet paper panic
Toilet paper is suddenly caught in the crossfire of a rapidly growing tariff war. The Guardian reports that toilet paper prices will face Canadian import levies of 25% to 50% starting on 8 September.
This comes after the Trump administration slapped a 50% tariff hike on goods coming from its northern neighbor. The kicker is that American manufacturers rely heavily on timber imported from Canada to produce toilet paper.
The trade flows involved are massive. According to World Bank data, the US imported $328 million worth of toilet paper from Canada in 2024, making Canada its primary supplier.
And Americans consume a lot of paper. The average citizen goes through 141 rolls per year, leading global consumption by a wide margin.
Meanwhile, Washington slapped a 50% tariff on Canadian dairy products. Ottawa responded with its own 50% tax on US dairy imports and a 25% duty on American cheese.
Not just a war on toilet paper
Fisheries and car factories are feeling the heat too. Canada placed a 25% tariff on American seafood. This made Republican Senator Susan Collins break ranks with Trump and call the US administration’s tariff strategy “a mistake.”
Automakers face similar friction. A 25% levy on Canadian car parts threatens to disrupt US factories, with threats of a 50% tariff hanging over the industry by 2027.
Despite the mounting pressure, officials in Washington remain optimistic. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer insisted that “there’s no possible way” consumers will suffer, adding that “the fundamentals are good” and “I don’t think this is going to affect anything.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to match US tariffs “dollar for dollar.” That may prove costly for every American regularly using their toilet.
