Faisal Kutty
Tariffs on. Tariffs off. Tariffs on. Tariffs off. Just a day after President Donald Trump imposed long-awaited tariffs on Canada, his administration swiftly granted exemptions for the auto industry until April 2 and effectively removed goods shipped under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement—amounting to 38 percent of Canadian exports—from the tariff list until next month.
Last week was a whirlwind of chaos. Rapid trade policy shifts left businesses scrambling, markets uncertain, and governments frustrated. Canadian manufacturers rushed to revise production plans, while once-stable supply chains plunged into turmoil. Financial analysts struggled to gauge the long-term effects of ever-changing policies. Meanwhile, U.S. firms reliant on Canadian materials faced a costly dilemma: absorb rising costs or pass them to consumers.
Canada's foreign affairs minister calls it a "psychodrama"—instability is the only constant. The Trump administration favors bluster over diplomacy, treating Canada with disdain. For Canada, it's an existential threat; for Trump, a game. He mocks Justin Trudeau, claiming the Canadian prime minister is exploiting tariffs to stay in power—which he isn't.
For more than a century, the U.S. and Canada built a close, prosperous partnership—standing together in war, mutually fueling their economies through trade, and maintaining the world's longest undefended border. Trump has upended that relationship, sparking a trade war that threatens families, businesses, and political stability.
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