US President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on Canadian goods could deepen divisions between provinces and make it harder for Canada to mount a united trade response, experts warn.
A new round of 50 percent US tariffs is scheduled to take effect on 19 August, without exemptions for goods compliant with the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement.
University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe found British Columbia would face the greatest exposure, with 13.7 percent of its US exports affected.
Quebec would see 10.8 percent affected and Ontario nine percent while roughly one percent of exports from Alberta and Saskatchewan would face the tariffs.
“There’s an awareness that Canada can be a punching bag for the United States, but different parts of the country can be treated differently,” University of British Columbia political scientist Stewart Prest said.
“At the extreme, that does lend itself to a divide-and-conquer strategy, which Canadians really have to be aware of.”
BC’s forestry sector and high-value manufacturing could face significant pressure, while Alberta and Saskatchewan are largely protected because US tariffs exclude energy and potash.
Quebec’s CUSMA envoy Louise Blais warned the tariffs could be “absolutely catastrophic” for communities dependent on manufacturing.
“Those companies will be gone in a month or two,” she said.
Experts warn Washington could eventually offer exemptions to individual provinces or industries, potentially weakening Canada’s ability to maintain a unified response.
