Mr. Speaker, last month we reached consensus with the U.S., alongside Mexico, on a new modernized North American free trade agreement for the 21st century. Our government fought hard to reach a good agreement and we were successful. The ties across North America are essential for our shared economic prosperity, and we look forward to further deepening our close economic ties with the U.S. and Mexico.
On the question of U.S. section 232 tariffs, our position remains unchanged. The U.S. tariffs imposed under the rationale of national security on steel and aluminum are unacceptable and an affront to the long-standing security partnership between the U.S. and Canada. These tariffs are illegitimate and unjustified, and that is a message that we have repeatedly shared with the U.S. administration.
It is overwhelmingly in the best interests of both Canada and the United States for these reciprocal tariffs to be lifted. In the meantime, we have taken strong, responsive measures to defend our steel and aluminum workers. That is why we responded earlier in July by imposing tariffs against U.S. imports, worth $16.6 billion, equivalent to the value of Canadian steel and aluminum trade affected. This is the largest trade action Canada has taken since World War II.
Our government has also announced it is making available up to $2 billion to defend and protect the interests of Canadian workers and businesses in the steel, aluminum and manufacturing industries. These measures are helping to strengthen the competitiveness of Canada's steel and aluminum companies and contribute to economic growth while increasing the capacity of the industries to innovate, grow value-added, support product and market diversification, and create and sustain jobs for Canadians.
As we have always said, the NAFTA talks are completely separate from these illegal section 232 tariffs. However, now that we have completed the USMCA, we have some wind in our sails and we continue to work for the permanent removal of the U.S. tariffs. In the meantime, our reciprocal countermeasures will remain in place until the tariffs are removed, and we are challenging the U.S. tariffs under World Trade Organization and NAFTA rules. All Canadians can rest assured that the removal of the section 232 tariffs is a priority for our government.