Washington DC - A major US food importer filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to overturn tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on certain Canadian products after trade talks broke down earlier this year.

Washington's 50% duties on billions of dollars worth of Canadian goods, including hockey sticks, took effect in late August, triggering Ottawa's swift retaliation and straining ties.

US officials have since added goods like cheeses, motorboats and aluminum products to their target list, while exempting key items like road salts and cement. Trump also moved to ban imports of various Canadian alcoholic and dairy products.

In its lawsuit, Gellert Global Group said the 50% duties marked the Trump administration's "latest attempt to exercise, through a statute never designed for the purpose, the tariff power that the Constitution assigns to Congress."

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Trump had tapped a little-known legal provision for the tariffs on Canada, Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

But the latest lawsuit urged the US Court of International Trade to declare these tariffs "unlawful" and halt their enforcement and collection.

It also pushed for refunds with interest of "the duties unlawfully collected."

Since returning to the presidency last year, Trump has slapped sweeping tariffs on US allies and competitors alike, while separately targeting sectors ranging from steel to autos.

Canada is one of the US' biggest trading partners, and the two countries' tit-for-tat tariffs have hit a relatively small amount of bilateral trade.

Still, the trade tiff – and Trump's suggestions that Canada should become America's 51st state – have taken a toll on the historically warm ties between the neighbors.

The Supreme Court struck down Trump's country-specific tariffs in February, sparking a wave of refunds to businesses. His sector-specific duties remain intact.

While Trump later tapped other legal means to rebuild his tariff wall, the court ruling dealt a sharp blow to his ability to slap new duties on partners rapidly.

In August, Trump signed an order to rename Lake Ontario, on the border with Canada, as "Lake America."

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And last month, Trump posted an illustration of himself towering over Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as they played ice hockey, with Trump saying, "Get up, governor."

The moves have sparked a wave of fury and patriotism in Canada, with many Canadians rallying to the cry, "Elbows up," a phrase that comes from hockey meaning to stand strong and defend oneself.