At a time where a shifting political landscape might be costing some business owners a little more sleep than usual, the Brandon Chamber of Commerce has reached out to its members and to the business community at large with a letter on navigating trade disruptions.
Following a breakdown of negotiations, a long string of expensive tariffs are set to be put in place on Canadian goods, and the Canadian government this morning announced retaliatory tariffs on over $27 billion worth of U.S. goods.
“We support the federal government’s decision to walk away from a deal that would have compromised Canadian sovereignty, weakened protections for key Canadian sectors, and restricted our country’s ability to pursue trade relationships beyond the United States,” said Chamber President Emilio Brown. “A weak deal accepted under pressure would have cost us far more in the long run than the disruption we are facing now. Choosing no deal over a bad one took resolve, and it was the right call for Canada’s long-term economic interests.”
Brown acknowledged in his letter that even though this was the right choice in the long run, it would not be without its problems for business owners. Agricultural producers will now find it harder to ship goods into the United States, while those who use machinery dependent on U.S. parts will now see a rise in their costs.
“That is precisely why unity matters right now,” continued Brown. “Along with the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, the Business Council of Manitoba, and chambers across the country, we believe Canada is strongest when business, government, and community are united and speaking from the same page. This is also a moment to look inward: to accelerate the removal of remaining barriers to trade between our own provinces, to diversify the markets Manitoba businesses sell into, and to strengthen the domestic supply chains and partnerships that reduce our reliance on any single trading partner.”
The letter added that the Chamber wants to hear directly from local businesses on how tariffs may be affecting them in order to better respond to them.
