July 11 (Reuters) - Futures linked to Toronto's main

stock index fell on Friday as U.S. President Donald Trump

ramped up his tariff assault on Canada.

Futures on the S&P/TSX index fell 0.6% by 06:05

a.m. ET (1005 GMT).

Trump late on Thursday issued a letter implementing a 35%

tariff rate on all imports from Canada, set to go into effect

from August 1, adding that the rate would go up if Canada

retaliated.

He also said the European Union could receive a letter on

tariff rates by Friday and floated a blanket 15% or 20% tariff

rate on other countries, a step up from the current 10% baseline

rate.

The 35% tariff is an increase from the current 25% rate that

Trump had assigned to Canada and is a blow to Prime Minister

Mark Carney, who was seeking to come to a trade agreement with

Washington.

Carney said his government will defend Canadian workers and

businesses in their negotiations with the U.S.

An exclusion for goods covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada

Agreement was expected to stay in place, while 10% tariffs on

energy and fertilizer were not set to change, though Trump had

not made a final decision, an administration official said.

Investors now await Canada's employment report for June, due

later in the day, for clues on how the domestic economy is

dealing with trade uncertainty and guide expectations for the

Bank of Canada's July interest-rate decision.

Gold prices edged higher on safe-haven demand. Oil

prices steadied. Copper prices lowered on tariff

worries.

The benchmark S&P/TSX composite index notched a

record high on Thursday, led by industrial shares, as investors

shrugged off ongoing trade uncertainty.

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