While 25 per cent tariffs imposed on Canadian goods entering the United States have been pushed back another month, the threat still looms over B.C. and the country.
Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Scott McInnis says retaliatory tariffs proposed by the federal government and backed by the BC NDP are a step in the wrong direction.
“We don’t believe counter-tariffs are going to be helpful because we buy a lot of goods from the United States. If we start imposing a tariff on things, they’re going to become extremely expensive for consumers, on top of the already over-inflated and expensive environment we currently live in,” said McInnis.
“We would like to see an approach of finding solutions to this rather than backing into a corner and throwing mud at the United States. We don’t think that’s really helpful and there has to be a more constructive way forward to find what the end game is to bring this tariff war to a close.”
US-imposed tariffs were put in place on Monday, March 2, and later repealed on Thursday, with plans to bring them back into effect on April 2.
“Understandably, there is a ton of anxiety around these tariffs, from myself included. We don’t know how this is going to play out from here,” said McInnis.
“President Donald Trump has obviously been very unpredictable with his behaviour and his negotiating around this issues. People are very concerned.”
McInnis says rising economic tensions could harm local businesses, particularly in tourism-dependant communities.
“There are not just goods that travel back and forth, there are people who come to our riding, particularly for tourism,” said McInnis.
“If we lose those folks in a wider trade war, it would be devastating for our local economy.”
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