Trump’s tariff threat already costing Canadian businesses, trade lawyer says
Canadian manufacturers are reporting lost orders and layoffs due to uncertainty surrounding President Trump's proposed 50 per cent tariff on Canadian goods. Trade experts warn that these tariffs could make Canadian products uncompetitive in the U.S. market, particularly in the furniture and electronics sectors.
Why it matters
The potential implementation of these tariffs threatens to disrupt cross-border trade and cause significant economic damage to Canadian manufacturing communities.
Canadian manufacturers are already losing U.S. orders as businesses brace for President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats, even as the Gordie Howe International Bridge prepares to open Monday.
William Pellerin, an international trade lawyer, told Global News on Saturday that some Canadian companies report already feeling the effects of Trump’s proposed 50 per cent tariff before takes effect Aug. 19.
“We’re already speaking with a large number of clients who, because of this tariff threat of 50 per cent that would come into force next month, are already losing massive orders to their U.S. customers,” Pellerin said.
Trump threatened the tariffs on certain Canadian goods last Sunday, along with another 10 per cent tariff affecting goods outside the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.
Pellerin said the proposed 50 per cent tariff would make many Canadian products too expensive to compete in the U.S., particularly in sectors such as furniture and electronics.
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