Trump's Trials - Trump's new tariff threats fuel economic uncertainty in Canada

Episode Date: July 22, 2026

President Trump's renewed tariff threats are rattling businesses, consumers and lawmakers in Canada, raising concerns about the potential impact. Then, NPR's Michel Martin speaks with longtime Canadian journalist Peter Mansbridge about how Canada views President Trump's latest tariff threats.Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

You're listening to Trump's terms. I'm Scott Detrow. Every episode, we bring you one story from NPR's recent coverage of the 47th president. With a focus on ways his administration is pushing the boundaries of presidential power. Here's the latest from NPR. I'm Michelle Martin. And I'm Lela Faldil. President Trump is launching another front in his trade war with Canada. His latest tariffs on Canadian products are scheduled to take effect in about a month. Sheena Rossiter reports from Edmonton.

The U.S. Canadian friendship, partnership, and success. Thank you. It was bottoms up on a Monday morning at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Annual Summit in Edmonton. Praising the U.S. Canada relationship, U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, raised a shot of American whiskey, liquor that has been stripped from many Canadian store shelves. This relationship is so critical. We need to grow it and we need to stabilize it, and the future will be very, very bright for all of us. The celebration was short-lived. Just hours later, President Trump announced new 50% tariffs on nearly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports.

Everything from wine to clothing and even hockey sticks will be subject to tariffs. The White House says the tariffs are intended to hold. Canada accountable for what it calls unfair trade practices, though legal challenges are expected. The announcement comes as Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, review the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says those trade talks are now expected to intensify. For Canadian small business owners, the threat of new tariffs is yet another blow as rising cost and uncertainty continue to squeeze profits. Nadia Andrade co-owned CH Cafeteria, a coffee shop in bistro in West Edmonton she's operated since 2020.

Well, it has been hard because all the prices have been changing because of the uncertainty. Because it changes so much that if we try to make plans to adapt, it will break in a week. She hopes small businesses like hers aren't overlooked as Canada and the U.S. continue trade talks. For all, business owners has been like really struggle that we don't get a little bit of extra support. They see it on the big picture, right? They just see it for the big industries. Business owners, the small ones were just like, okay, we can't make it, I hope. For NPR News, I'm Sheena Rossiter in Edmonton.

Let's dig in on this a bit more with someone who keeps his finger on the pulse of what Canadian leaders and the public are thinking. That's Peter Mansbridge. For 30 years, he anchored the news for the CBC. Now he hosts a podcast called The Bridge about Canadian politics and news. Mr. Manjores, good morning. Thanks for joining us. Hey, Michelle, it's good to talk to you. So I understand that you live in a place where about a quarter of the jobs are linked to the auto industry. So when President Trump talked about these 50% tariffs, how did that land?

Not very well. Yes, I live in Stratford, Ontario, which is, you know, in southwestern Ontario, and like a lot of communities in that area, it's related in some fashion to the auto industry. One in four jobs there are directly related to the auto industry, and because it's under threat, the Canadian auto industry, people are worried, and they have been worried for the last year and a half. So this is the latest thing to come along to suggest that they have good reason to be worried about their futures.

So it's a tense time in this country. And President Trump was walking away from the trade deal with Canada that he negotiated in his first term, You know, former Canadian finance minister, Christia Freeland, spoke to our colleagues at all things considered yesterday. She talked about what she says the world is learning about Trump. What we're seeing from President Trump is no deal is permanent. He rips things up and he only really respects the counterparties that respond with strength. Do other people feel that way?

And if they do, what effect is this having on how Canadians think about their relationship with the U.S. and what they want their leadership to do. Very few Canadians would argue with what Christopher Freeland just said. I mean, let's face it, the Kuzma deal, the Canada, U.S., Mexico deal, was signed by Trump, negotiated by Trump in his first term. He called it the greatest deal ever. Now he says it's the worst deal ever. So you wonder, well, how can you trust this guy no matter what the deal is?

Listen, Canadians have grown up for the last hundred years, believing that the United States was its best friend, closest ally, great trade partner. We fought and died on battlefields around the world together. In the last year, many of those feelings have gone away, to the point where a lot of Canadians just don't, they don't understand Trump. They don't trust Trump, but they also don't understand why Americans are kind of sitting by and letting this happen to this relationship. It's clearly taken a major hit. So what do they want their own leaders to do about that? Well, there's the, There's the $64,000 question, if you will.

Mark Carney has been taking, he's the Canadian Prime Minister, has been taking the approach that you've got to be careful with Trump. You've got to, in a one way, kind of suck up to him to get him in the negotiating room and then try to make deals. That so far hasn't worked. And some Canadians are getting a little anxious about how long this is taking. Doug Ford, who's the premier, like the governor of Ontario, the most power. province in terms of population and economic drive is saying enough is enough, it's time to play

hardball against Trump. We'll see where that leads things. But most Canadians just want the, you know, I think they've given up on hoping the relationship can return to what it used to be. They just want a fair deal and some appearance that the leaders of both countries are actually sitting down and negotiating. Only about 30 seconds left here. Is there another part of the world that Canadians are looking to kind of replace that relationship? Oh, yeah, very much so.

They're looking at Europe. They're looking at Asia. And they're making deals. But listen, let's not kid ourselves. The relationship between Canada and the United States is huge on the trade front. And that's not going to suddenly disappear. You're our closest neighbor. They are our biggest trade partner.

Those kind of relationships aren't going to suddenly end with all this. There's still going to be something at the end of the day between the two countries. That is, long-time Canadian journalist Peter Mansford. Mr. Manfred, thanks so much for sharing these insights with us. Thanks, Michelle. Good to talk to you. A note before we go, if you value this show and want to help keep it going, a free and totally easy way to support us is to rate and review Trump's terms on the platform where you listen.

in a world of algorithms that goes a long way toward helping us reach new listeners. If you have left a review in the past, thank you so much. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR.