Published in The Gazette. Faced with people who constantly threaten others, my father used to say: bien faire et laisser braire, which literally translates as “do a good job and let them bray.” The old British wartime directive “keep calm and carry on,” now so popular, would be the equivalent today. We should heed this […]
In anticipation of the looming tariff threat, exports from Canada to the United States increased at the end of 2024 and early parts of 2025, while imports from the United States remained steady. The result was a widening bilateral trade surplus for Canada.
From: William B.P. RobsonTo: Canadian economic observersDate: March 19, 2025Re: Dollar Weakness is our Best Tariff Defence The Canadian dollar is down about 6 percent against the US dollar since September. The coincidence of its recent ups and downs with the ebb and flow of US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats shows that much of its decline reflects concern about US protectionism. […]
According to the latest available data, many Canadian industries rely heavily on US demand, with resource-based sectors being the most exposed. In 2022, nearly half of forestry and logging jobs (49.3 percent) depended on the US market, followed closely by fishing and hunting (41.4 percent), mining and oil and gas extraction (41.0 percent), and manufacturing […]
Published in The Financial Post The Canadian dollar is down seven per cent against the U.S. dollar since September. The coincidence of its recent ups and downs with the ebb and flow of President Donald Trump’s tariff threats shows that much of its decline reflects concern about U.S. protectionism. U.S. tariffs on our exports will raise their price for […]
To: Canadian GovernmentsFrom: Brian LivingstonDate: March 13, 2025Re: Holding the Line on Pre-Tariff Pricing How to fight a tariff war? Canada’s main response to Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products has focused on retaliatory tariffs that will hurt US exports to Canada, on the theory that adding to the existing self-inflicted pain of US tariffs […]
The total number of Canadian jobs tied to our exports to the US has grown over time, except during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic – though in both instances they rebounded quickly. While American jobs supported by US exports to Canada have declined slightly since 2014, they still total around 1.4 million. […]
March 5, 2025 – The first wave of tariffs imposed by President Trump on Canadian imports is an unmistakable attack on Canada’s economy and workforce, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. A special communiqué, “Bolstering Canada’s Response to US Trade Threats,” draws on insights from the Institute’s Trade Crisis Working Group, which met […]
The initial round of tariffs threatened by US President Trump against Canada and Mexico was implemented yesterday – 10 percent for energy products, and 25 percent for other goods. Already, as a result, a chunk of trade beneficial to businesses and consumers on both sides of the border has been halted. Mr. Trump may ease […]
From: William B.P. RobsonTo: Trade WarriorsDate: February 26, 2025Re: Tariff Retaliation Needs to be Shrewder than Trump Even before the end of his 30-day reprieve for tariffs on all Canadian exports to the United States, Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on US imports of steel, aluminum, automotive products, drugs and semiconductors. This erratic belligerence naturally tilts Canadians toward […]
From: Glen HodgsonTo: Tariff watchersDate: February 24, 2025Re: Trump’s tariff threats and likely consequences Why has Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada (and others)? And what are the possible impacts and consequences? Here are some observations, informed by my perspective as a former chief economist and an official at Finance Canada and Export […]
From: Lawrence HermanTo: Trade observersDate: February 20, 2025Re: Doomed But Worthy: Canada’s Legal Challenges to US Tariffs Canada is challenging US President Donald Trump’s tariff measures at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Even if both those agreements are, as some people might say, on life support, Canada is doing the right […]
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Published in The Gazette. Faced with people who constantly threaten others, my father used to say: bien faire et laisser braire, which literally translates as “do a good job and let them bray.” The old British wartime directive “keep calm and carry on,” now so popular, would be the equivalent today. We should heed this […] 
In anticipation of the looming tariff threat, exports from Canada to the United States increased at the end of 2024 and early parts of 2025, while imports from the United States remained steady. The result was a widening bilateral trade surplus for Canada. 
From: William B.P. RobsonTo: Canadian economic observersDate: March 19, 2025Re: Dollar Weakness is our Best Tariff Defence The Canadian dollar is down about 6 percent against the US dollar since September. The coincidence of its recent ups and downs with the ebb and flow of US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats shows that much of its decline reflects concern about US protectionism. […] 
According to the latest available data, many Canadian industries rely heavily on US demand, with resource-based sectors being the most exposed. In 2022, nearly half of forestry and logging jobs (49.3 percent) depended on the US market, followed closely by fishing and hunting (41.4 percent), mining and oil and gas extraction (41.0 percent), and manufacturing […] 
Published in The Financial Post The Canadian dollar is down seven per cent against the U.S. dollar since September. The coincidence of its recent ups and downs with the ebb and flow of President Donald Trump’s tariff threats shows that much of its decline reflects concern about U.S. protectionism. U.S. tariffs on our exports will raise their price for […] 
To: Canadian GovernmentsFrom: Brian LivingstonDate: March 13, 2025Re: Holding the Line on Pre-Tariff Pricing How to fight a tariff war? Canada’s main response to Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products has focused on retaliatory tariffs that will hurt US exports to Canada, on the theory that adding to the existing self-inflicted pain of US tariffs […] 
The total number of Canadian jobs tied to our exports to the US has grown over time, except during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic – though in both instances they rebounded quickly. While American jobs supported by US exports to Canada have declined slightly since 2014, they still total around 1.4 million. […] 
From: William B.P. RobsonTo: Trade WarriorsDate: February 26, 2025Re: Tariff Retaliation Needs to be Shrewder than Trump Even before the end of his 30-day reprieve for tariffs on all Canadian exports to the United States, Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on US imports of steel, aluminum, automotive products, drugs and semiconductors. This erratic belligerence naturally tilts Canadians toward […] 
From: Glen HodgsonTo: Tariff watchersDate: February 24, 2025Re: Trump’s tariff threats and likely consequences Why has Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada (and others)? And what are the possible impacts and consequences? Here are some observations, informed by my perspective as a former chief economist and an official at Finance Canada and Export […] 
From: Lawrence HermanTo: Trade observersDate: February 20, 2025Re: Doomed But Worthy: Canada’s Legal Challenges to US Tariffs Canada is challenging US President Donald Trump’s tariff measures at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Even if both those agreements are, as some people might say, on life support, Canada is doing the right […]