Fenestration Canada has warned that new Canadian counter-tariffs on U.S. goods will hit aluminum and steel doors, windows and fasteners at rates of up to 50 per cent, creating new cost and supply-chain pressures for glazing manufacturers just as Ontario's premier is telling architects to stop specifying American materials on public projects.
In an update dated August 31, Fenestration Canada said the federal government will impose a new round of counter-tariffs effective Sept. 8 in response to U.S. Section 338 tariffs. Several tariff items directly relevant to the Canadian fenestration industry are on the list.
Fenestration Canada details tariff classifications
The classifications of particular concern include:
- 7610.10.00 – aluminum doors, windows and their frames and thresholds for doors: 50 per cent;
- 7308.30.00 – iron or steel doors, windows and their frames and thresholds for doors: 50 per cent;
- 7318 – iron and steel fasteners: 50 per cent, including screws, bolts, nuts, washers, rivets and other commonly used fastening products;
- 8302.42.00 and 8302.49.00 – base mounting and fittings for doors and windows: 25 per cent.
Fenestration Canada is asking members that import products under these tariff classifications, or that rely on U.S.-origin aluminum or steel products and components captured elsewhere on the list, to report the expected impact. The association wants to know what products or components will be affected, approximate exposure to U.S.-origin supply, whether equivalent Canadian or non-U.S. supply is realistically available, the expected impact on costs, production or customers, and what response members want the association to pursue with the federal government, including whether tariff relief or remission should be considered.
The federal government also announced a new and expanded $7.5-billion support package for Canadian businesses and workers affected by U.S. tariffs. Fenestration Canada said the Business Development Bank of Canada's Pivot to Grow program appears most promising for those looking to gap fund improvements or remedy expected shortfalls; funding can help manage tariff impacts and adapt operations, including addressing cash-flow pressures, changing supply chains, purchasing equipment or making other investments required to adjust to the new trade environment.
Ford targets architects over U.S. building specs
Ontario Premier Doug Ford issued what he called “just another warning shot” to architects and engineers who specify American building materials on public projects, according to Ontario Construction News. Speaking at a housing infrastructure announcement in Vaughan last Wednesday, Ford said the problem starts with early design decisions, citing a school construction project in Uxbridge.
“It all starts with the architects and the engineers specing out these materials,” Ford said. “I hear they spec out this brick, and God knows we have great brick companies here in Ontario, and they’re buying in the U.S. for $8 a brick, and we can sell it for $2”.
Ford pointed to the Building Ontario Businesses Initiative Act and the new Buy Ontario Act, which formalizes prioritization of domestic goods and services across the province’s $30-billion annual public procurement budget. The legislation applies to all public sector organizations, including municipalities, contractors, and subcontractors. Ford said compliance across the sector is likely around 98 per cent, but the exceptions are intolerable.
“It drives me crazy when I hear someone’s buying something off the U.S., one of these agencies or hydro companies,” Ford said. “We’re in a war,” he said. “You protect your country. You protect your province.”
Whistleblowers and Buy Ontario enforcement
Ford said the government is actively tracking non-compliance through industry whistleblowers, and he urged local businesses to report irregularities during bidding and specification processes. “The suppliers are the ones calling us, giving us a heads up,” Ford said. “If you see something going sideways, give us a ring and we’ll hunt it down and hold them accountable.”
CCA: Counter-tariffs disrupt job sites, support grows
The Canadian Construction Association released a bulletin warning that construction is a net importer of critical materials and the tariff list will cause significant disruption across Canadian job sites, delaying projects and raising costs. CCA said the measures include dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on $27.6 billion in U.S. goods in response to the 50 per cent U.S. tariff on Canadian exports. Steel and aluminum tariffs are doubling from 25 to 50 per cent; lumber and wood products face 25 to 50 per cent; and dozens of construction inputs, including fasteners, HVAC equipment, scaffolding, doors/windows and lifting machinery, will be hit with rates from 15 to 50 per cent.
CCA said based on the latest supply and use data from 2024, only 60 per cent of all manufactured inputs used in Canadian construction are sourced domestically, while 25 per cent are supplied by U.S. producers. Exposure to U.S. imports is particularly high in engineering construction, including communication and oil and gas subsectors, where roughly 40 per cent of inputs come from the U.S., exceeding the domestic share. The federal government is providing tariff relief for 179 steel mill products not produced in Canada, which CCA said helps contain the most acute self-inflicted costs of counter-tariffs.
The federal support package includes an additional $7.5 billion on top of $25 billion in economic support since the trade dispute began. CCA summarized key measures: $1.5 billion for the Regional Tariff Response Initiative for small and medium-sized businesses; $2 billion through the Canada Strong Diversification Fund; $3.5 billion for the Rapid Response Supports for Workers and Employers Initiative; more flexibility for the Large Enterprise Tariff Loan facility under the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation, with liquidity support extended from 24 to 36 months; and $500 million added to the BDC Pivot to Grow liquidity stream, starting at $250,000 to $5 million. CCA also reminded members to review the Canadian Construction Documents Committee’s Bulletin 11 on tariff-related contract price adjustments.
What glazing contractors should watch
For Canadian glazing manufacturers and contractors, the two developments reinforce each other. On the supply side, Fenestration Canada has identified 50 per cent tariffs on the aluminum and steel door and window classifications that many fabricators import, plus 50 per cent on iron and steel fasteners and 25 per cent on base mounting and fittings. On the demand side, Ontario’s procurement push increases pressure on public projects to specify Canadian or non-U.S. products. Fenestration Canada has not yet stated whether it will seek tariff relief or remission for the door, window and fastener classifications, but it is collecting member information to determine unintended consequences and what action to recommend to government.
CCA also recommended that members review their contracts alongside Bulletin 11 when assessing potential exposure and have timely and candid discussions with project partners about tariff impacts. For glazing subcontractors, that means checking whether tariff-driven cost changes are recoverable under existing project contracts.