T he Government of Canada provides an online tool called the Tariff Finder, designed to help suppliers and buyers navigate tariff rates in countries with which Canada has free trade agreements. Its dry, bureaucratic interface is exactly what you’d expect from a system rooted in decades of diplomatic negotiation and strategic economic policy. Exploring the site today feels strangely jarring given the trash talk tariffs have recently attracted.
US president Donald Trump’s looming 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports—which could start as soon as February 1—continues to roil the country. After jetting off to dinner at Mar-a-Lago back in December to talk him out of it, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped in the ring preparing to “punch back.” Ontario premier Doug Ford threatened to cut off energy to US states and mused about barring American alcohol from LCBO stores as former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland rallied a “Team Canada” approach, hinting that we may restrict US access to critical minerals and other goods. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has since emphasized Canada’s readiness to retaliate, and the prime minister struck a new council on Canada–US relations. The gloves are off and the elbows are out.
