U.S. official claims Canada might avoid 25% duties until April

What’s going on?

Celebrations were short-lived after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed he would maintain the Canada-U.S. trade truce until April 2.

A White House official clarified that a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods (10 per cent on energy) is still on track to be implemented on March 4.

However, the representative said plans could change, if negotiations go well.

“The fentanyl-related things, [Canada and Mexico] are working hard on the border, at the end of that 30 days they have to prove to the president that they’ve satisfied him to that regard,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a statement on Feb. 26.

“If they have, he will give them a pause — or he won’t.”

Is anything happening in April?

Yes. Trump is planning to slap trade partners, including Canada, with “reciprocal tariffs” on April 2.

The president is also looking at imposing duties on automobiles and forest products.

SEE ALSO
• Trump announces ‘steel and aluminum tariffs 2.0’, Canada affected
• How Trump’s tariffs could affect Canadians: 3 key employee rights
• Doug Ford warns Trump’s 25% tariff could cost Ontario ‘500,000 jobs’

Canadians concerned about widespread layoffs

A number of employers have begun to scale back their staffing levels as they brace for Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

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At Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, we’ve helped over 50,000 clients secure fair severance packages — recovering millions of dollars for non-unionized employees across Canada.

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• Negotiating severance in B.C.: What employees need to know

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