A trade war is no longer on the horizon — or postponed, at least.
On Feb. 1, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods effective Feb. 4. But he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached an agreement on Monday which caused Trump to delay the plan 30 days.
Trump said the next month will determine if a trade deal with Canada will happen.
Tony Hendriks, owner of Hendriks Independent in Niagara-on-the-Lake, said even with the delay, more customers are still choosing Canadian-made products.
Staff have been hand-labelling all Canadian goods with “Made in Canada” stickers to help shoppers make better informed purchases, he said.
Hendriks said no price changes have happened yet but he expects long-term shifts in buying habits.
He sees this as an opportunity to reduce reliance on U.S. imports and for Canadians to show their patriotism through their purchasing choices. He plans to continue focusing on this approach once the tariff situation is resolved.
“We’re proud Canadians and we want to support our fellow Canadians,” he said.
Phil Leboudec of Phil’s Independent in Virgil didn’t want to discuss the steps he’s taking with a reporter, but instead took his opinions to social media: “As we wade through the tariff waters, may I suggest that rather than arguing about how much is made where and or grown where in products. Perhaps we can make our decisions based on two truths. Support Canadian farmers regardless of who packages it and Canadian jobs. If we focus on those two ideals we can keep our economy as strong as possible until this passes.”
He also commented on the post and said Phil’s is working to help customers easily identify Canadian brands, like the stickers at Hendriks.
It’s not just physical items like groceries that could be affected — housing and other markets are feeling it too.
Andrew Perrie, NOTL resident and head coach and sales representative for Revel Realty said the housing market is essentially on pause — just like the tariffs.
“There’s a perception impact,” he said.
Buyers don’t want to make a move and sellers are holding off, hoping for better conditions in a few months. Some have even backed out of deals, he said.
One buyer backed out after losing their job and another who works in the auto industry backed out over fears of being let go, said Perrie.
As the CEO and founder of the Niagara 5000 supercar show, Alana Hurov is concerned about the tariffs too.
“To be successful, we need tourism,” she said, and added that tariffs could impact attendance at the show
But she’s staying optimistic and is focused on Canadian products, too.
Things may be uncertain right now but positive outcomes are quite possible for Canadian businesses and internal trading, she said.
