Sighs of relief as day-one tariffs don't materialize, but Canada's not off hook

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OTTAWA — It was a short-lived reprieve, rather than an exoneration.

That was the reaction to President Donald Trump’s conspicuous lack of Canada mentions during his first day in office Monday, with fears of a day-one executive order establishing 25% trade tariffs not materializing.

But the relief was short-lived, with word coming Monday evening that tariffs will instead be imposed Feb. 1 — with no further details immediately available.

Most who celebrated Monday’s absence of tariff announcements assumed they’d either come later, or it was an indication Trump had reconsidered his stance.

In a statement, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith described Monday’s lack of announcement as Trump’s “implied acknowledgement” that the issue is too complex to solve with a stroke of a pen.

“Avoiding tariffs will save hundreds of thousands of Canadian and American jobs across every sector,” she wrote.

“As an example, declining to impose U.S. tariffs on Canadian energy will preserve the viability of dozens of U.S. refineries and facilities that upgrade Alberta crude and the tens of thousands of Americans employed by them.”

In a statement posted online shortly after Trump’s inauguration, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated Canada’s commitment to strengthening cross-border relations.

“We’re making massive investments to bolster cross-border trade, reinforce our supply chains, and create jobs on both sides of the border,” the statement read.

“We are strongest when we work together, and I look forward to working with President Trump, his administration, members of the United States Congress, and officials at the state and local levels to deliver prosperity for our peoples — while protecting and defending the interests of Canadians.”

Drew Fagan, professor at the U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, said that Monday’s lack of day-one tariffs was indeed a reprieve for Canada — but correctly predicted that Canada wouldn’t be left off the hook. 

“Canada has been primed for something, but in the hierarchy of issues that (Trump’s) got, it’s not surprising that on day one he was focusing primarily on domestic matters,” he said, explaining why the tariffs weren’t part of his inauguration day executive orders.

“We feared that something might come immediately … The question is whether (the impending tariffs) are watered down because some degree of sanity took hold, or whether good politics and his impressions of what good policy is continues to trump matters.”

Whatever the situation, Fagan said that it’s important to remember that Trump holds all of the cards.

“It’s in hands,” he said.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume

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